


Alive

by TeddyTheCardioGoddess



Category: Grey's Anatomy, Station 19 (TV)
Genre: F/M, One Night Stands, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:15:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 46,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24702157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeddyTheCardioGoddess/pseuds/TeddyTheCardioGoddess
Summary: It has been a while since Andy Herrera met someone, let alone at a bar from all places. So when there is a stranger looking at her across the bar, she is hesitant at first. Everything changes with the a little push from her new friends, but Andy and Robert Sullivan learn there is still a lot they don't know about each other. SURRERA IS ENDGAME.
Relationships: Andy Herrera & Robert Sullivan, Andy Herrera/Robert Sullivan
Comments: 56
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since the moment Andy Herrera and Meredith Grey first met, I really wanted them Andy to be the fourth sister.  
> So I changed a couple of things, and what starts as a normal girls night out at Joe's, turn to something completely different.
> 
> This turned out a bit longer than I expected, so I split it up to two parts.  
> I hope you enjoy, let me know more and let me know if you want me to continue this story.

"Herrera, don't turn around, but there is a very handsome man sitting at the bar who has been looking at your direction for about.." Amelia takes a quick glance at her watch, trying to estimate just how long this stranger has been sending glances her friend's way. "Half an hour now."

Andy chokes on the sip of wine she was just drinking, trying her best to keep it down and not spit it out like some kind of an over the top cartoon character. "There is no way he is looking at me." The firefighter calls, yet now she feels self aware, like she has to impress the said man who she can't make eye contact with. She smoothes her long, wavy hair, then changes it again to fall on her other shoulder. She sits a bit taller in her chair, and smoothes some invisible wrinkles in her outfit.

"Oh, he is definitely looking at you." Maggie agrees before adding "And if I were you, I would have been walking his direction by now."

"I am not really looking for anything right now… I am not really in a flirting kind of mood." Andy hesitates. She fidgets with the leg of her wine glass, rotating it time and time again between her fingers, but she can't shake the feeling that someone is looking at her now, and for some reason, it feels like tiny electrical shots are being sent to the skin on her arms.

"Andy, I know you are upset you blew your shot at being the station's Captain." Amelia is brutally honest, like always. "But I think it will be good for you. And no one says you have to marry the guy. Just go, enjoy yourself for one night, get back on the horse, and get back to us with all the dirty details tomorrow."

"Or you can marry him if you want to." Meredith interrupts her sister. "I met my husband right here, at Joe's. And he was a one night stand, until before you knew it we wrote our vows on a post-it note." The surgeon shrugs as she downs another shot of tequila.

"Frankly, I am not sure there is a horse to get back on." Andy admits. "I am not really good at the whole 'meeting a guy outside the line of work' thing. And how do you know he is even looking at me and not at one of you guys?"

Maggie glances once again at the direction of the mysterious man, and Andy just wishes she could have gotten a good look at him from where she is seated. After a long moment of silence, the cardiac surgeon calls "Oh, he is looking directly at you, sister. No doubt."

She has grown to love these three odd, out of the ordinary sisters, even though they have a tendency to stick their noses in places they definitely do not belong. She was an only child, and though she had Ryan, who grew up with her and was like her brother, she always wished for a sister. Someone she could talk with about her boy problems, someone to steal clothes and jewelry from, someone to share a pint of ice cream with and watch trashy reality TV like they have no care in the world.

And now she has not one, but three of them.

Meredith asked her out for a drink after Andy managed to get her the meeting she needed so badly. That night she met Amelia and Maggie for the first time, and they made her feel so comfortable, so welcomed into their little family, that she never felt like leaving. She fell perfectly in place.

So even though the three doctors can sometimes be a bit pushy, a bit opinionated, and none of them can keep a secret for the life of her, she has grown to love them as if they were her own sisters in no time at all.

"Hey Herrera" Grey interrupts her train of thoughts. "Can you go to the bar and get us another round?" She points down at the tequila shots on their little table, even though there is a full one standing right in front of Meredith.

"And one soda for me." Amelia adds with a wink.

Andy puffs the air out of her lunges with noise, making sure her dissatisfaction is known to all the women sitting around the table. Then she makes a show out of pulling her chair out and standing up, knowing she caught the nameless man's attention. She reaches for the last tequila shot on the table, downs it in one big, unladylike chug, and slams the glass back on the table.

"Hey!" Meredith protests. "That was mine!"

Andy shrugs, murmurs a quiet "I need all the courage I can master." and goes to face the music.

She knows there is no way on earth she would have managed to avoid at least approaching him. When the group of surgeons think they know best, well, there is no convincing them otherwise.

Andy turns around, and she finally faces the man her friends couldn't stop talking about. He is watching her, after all. And he is every bit as handsome as the sisters described him to be. He is tall, and she can see he is well built beneath the T-shirt he is wearing. His smile flashes two rows of perfect, white teeth, and he gazes at her with a set of deep, stunning brown eyes.

He looks confident, a little smug, even, and by now, it's like her legs are moving toward him on their own accord. It is like she has relinquished control over her own body, and the only thing she can do by now is hope and pray she won't trip and fall over those quite high heels.

When she finally gets to a stop by the bar, and orders another round of drinks for her friends, she turns to face the man who sits quite close to her.

The one thing that Andy Herrera is proud of is never being nervous. She always has her brave face on, her job requires her to. She runs toward danger on a daily basis, while everyone else runs away from it. She doesn't have the privilege to feel scared.

So why can't she stop tapping on the hardwood floor with the heel of her shoe right now?

She stays put standing by the bar, even though the bartender placed her order in front of her a few long minutes ago. Andy knows her friends are curiously watching her. She also knows that no matter what will happen from here on out, this will be the talk of the day tomorrow.

There is something deep inside her telling her they will talk, eventually, but she can't bring herself to be the one to break their loaded silence, and apparently, neither does he.

Finally the only thing that comes out of her mouth is "I don't really know how to do this anymore. It has been a while."

She wants to take back the embarrassing confession the moment it passes her lips. She blushes a little, which does nothing to help her awkward high school girl feeling, before she blurts quickly "Oh my god, I didn't mean it to sound that way, I will just walk away now." She turns around on her heels, ready to leave her order behind and flee like her life depends on it.

However, as she turns around, she feels a soft hand holding on to her wrist oh so lightly, and sees all the women sitting at her table forming the word 'No', signaling her to go back to whatever it is that she was just starting. He is not grabbing her, his fingers barely flatter across her skin, and she can take her hand away easily enough if she wants to. He doesn't force her to stay, it is more of a soundless invitation. One she decides to take.

"Yeah, I didn't really know what to say either. I guess it means it has been a while for the both of us." She smiles as she turns back on her heels, can't help it, and she notices he has a small grin across his face too.

"I guess names are a good place to start." She establishes. "I am Andrea, but the people I like can call me Andy."

"Robert. So does it mean I get to call you Andy?"

She makes a playful act, as if she is seriously deliberating the question, before finally answering. "Not yet. Who says I will like you?"

"If you stick around just a big longer before going back to your friends, I can make you like me well enough."

He flirts now, no doubt, and though he said he had been out of this specific game for a while, he is quite good at it. He makes her feel comfortable, yet curious enough to stick around and see what the thing between them can become.

Damn it, her doctor friends have been right once again.

"OK" She agrees, pulling out the bar stool next to Robert and sitting down.

"Who says this seat is not taken?" He asks playfully, which gets him the best death glare Andy can master in return. Not a good one by all means, considering the fact that the nice, buzzing feeling in her stomach keeps the smile from fading off of her face.

His only reaction is that smug grin once again, and she can't help but notice that he is older than her. Ten years, she thinks, give or take. It does something to her, deep in her core, the thought of going home with an older man. Maybe it is just the thought of going home with this older man.

And when did she decide that she is going to go home with him? Wasn't she approaching just to get Amelia off of her back?

She can't help but wonder if he is married. Sleeping with a married man is a red line she will never cross. She will never let herself be "The other woman", and though being forward and asking him that question is tempting, she stops herself when she notices he doesn't have a ring on his left hand.

She can't explain it, but something inside of her tells her everything will be alright if she trusts him. And her trust is not something she is usually too keen on giving away easily to complete strangers.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asks, in that low, sexy voice she didn't expect. It does something to her, that voice, and she has to sit with her legs crossed to prevent her knees from spreading just a little.

She nods, and orders a glass of red wine for herself. He asks the bartender for another pint of beer, before inquiring "So what do men talk about when they meet a new woman and want her to like them? Just enough so she will allow them to shorten her first name?"

"I really have no idea." She confesses. "Maybe just tell me something about yourself. Nothing too personal, just something to help me decide if I like you enough to let you call me Andy."

"I like to make smoothies. I consider it a hobby, actually." He says seriously, then takes another sip of his beer.

She can't help but laugh, a true chuckle coming from deep inside her. "OK, I know I said nothing too personal, but you have to give me something more."

He thinks for a minute, then adds. "I speak six different languages. German, Spanish, Italian, French, Farsi, and English."

That confession earns him a awestruck look from her, and a "Wow" she mumbles quietly.

"How… You just impressed me." She admits. "And I think that gives you the right to call me Andy."

"When I was growing up, my grandfather lived with us. He immigrated to the United States from Germany just after the second World War, and never really learned English. So German was the language we spoke at home, and English was the language I spoke everywhere else. And coming from a bilingual home… It just made me want to learn more, know as much as possible, speak to as many people as possible in their own mother tongue."

"So you were that nerdy high school student who sat at home and learned new languages all day long?" Andy inquires with a raised brow.

"No, not really. I was prom king, and as much of a stereotype as it might be, I played basketball at my high school's team. Go Tigers!" Robert cheers playfully with a raise of his fist. "And now you know more about me than most people do. I guess it earned me the right to know a few things about you too. Just to make sure we are even."

"I come from a bilingual home as well, but It never drove me to learn other languages like you did. I was prom queen, two years in a row." She says proudly, like it is some kind of competition and she is clearly winning. "I like to eat sugary, definitely not healthy for me cereal, with my hands, straight out of the box. And I dance salsa. I think that has been one of the greatest passions of my life for a while now. I even won a state championship one year."

She doesn't tell him about her other passion, being a firefighter, running into burning buildings to save lives. Nevertheless, something about what she said starts a spark in his eyes.

"You dance Salsa." He repeats and she nods, not exactly sure where he is heading. "That takes showmanship, athleticism and sex appeal all at the same time."

So he had stopped pretending he doesn't know where this night is going. Good, cause she had decided she will definitely go home with him the moment she heard this very beautiful man can also speak Italian.

"Do you trust me?" He asks and reaches out his hand for her to take.

Before she has a chance to think about it, she blurts out "Yes" and places her hand in his. His palm feels warm in hers, and it has been a while since she had let someone hold her hand, since she had trusted someone enough to just guide her, not knowing where.

He leaves some bills on the counter, a lot more than necessary to cover a glass of wine and two pints of beer, and gets up from his seat. She follows him outside the bar, not before turning her head around in order to look at her friends one last time. They all give her encouraging smiles and mouth the word "Go" without making a sound.


	2. Alive Part 2

They walk just a minute or so until they arrive at the hospital's parking lot just across the street, never letting go of each other's hand.

"What are we doing here?" Andy asks, a bit of suspicion creeping into her voice. Maybe her doctor friends set her up with some kind of a serial killer who will leave her body to cool in this parking lot.

Very unlikely, she decides, considering the fact that her gut told her she should trust him, and her intuition is almost never wrong.

"I saw this parking lot on my way to the bar." He explains. "And dancing salsa under the starlight is kind of my idea of a perfect date."

"So this is a date now?"

"Do you want it to be?" Robert answers her question with another question.

"Take it easy, Romeo." Andy warns. "Someone can see us. We are outside of a hospital."

"It is late, Andy. I am sure most of the stuff is already gone for the night. The parking lot is nearly empty. Do you trust me?" He asks once again.

She puts the hand he is not already holding in his, and they start dancing like they have no care in the world. He is good. Not a professional like she is, but easy enough on his feet and a good leader.

Neither of them is really dressed for the occasion, both of them wearing a pair of jeans, he is in a quite fitting T-shirt, and she is in a loose top she knows compliments her body well enough. But they are dancing in a parking lot, not at a ballroom, and even though there is no music playing, it seems as though when they start dancing, they just can't stop.

It feels as if they have their own, in sync rhythm deep inside them. They move in perfect unison, like they have been dance partners for years upon years, and not like she just learned he can dance salsa too.

He makes her feel sexy, electrified, more alive than she had felt in a very long time. He makes her forget about losing her shot at being captain, makes her forget about everything and everyone.

It is like their bodies have their own, different way of communication. As if their bodies can convey messages to each other that neither of them knows how to say out loud, even though he speaks six different languages.

And boy, seeing him dancing like that, all confident and sexy, sure as hell does nothing to settle the ache between her thighs.

So the next time they are facing each other, both out of breath and a little flashed in the face from the unexpected yet welcomed exercise, Andy decides she has had enough. She wraps her arms around his neck, and pulls him down to kiss her.

She is kissing a stranger in a parking lot, a man she knows absolutely nothing about, but she couldn't care less.

She feels alive.

He is a bit surprised at first, but it takes him no time at all to catch up with her intentions. Their kiss starts slowly, and heats up before they know it. They explore each other's mouths, seek eagerly to learn everything they possibly can about their new partner. Andy's grip around Robert's neck tightens, and his hands rest on her hips, in a perfectly respectable place.

Andy hopes he won't play it respectable for the rest of the night.

They kiss and kiss, and when the two of them are finally too tired and out of breath to keep kissing, she rests her forehead against his and asks him in a hoarse voice "Can you please say something in Italian?"

His answer doesn't come immediately, but when he says it, she somehow manages to understand. Spanish is not so different from Italian after all.

"Posso portarti a casa?" May I take you home?

*********

"Maya! Maya don't! Don't you dare!" Andy warns, chasing Maya down the staircase of the fire station.

"Hey Vic!" Maya yells across the station. "Do you want to know what Andy was doing this morning?"

"No, not really." Vic answers, as she keeps checking the fire hose, then rolling them and stuffing them inside the truck.

"You should be interested though, very much so." Bishop insists, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet like a kid dying to tell her parents she excelled in her book report.

"Oh lord have mercy." Andy mumbles under her breath, praying that no one else in the station will hear the story Maya is so eager to share.

She manages to catch up with the two and stop right beside them as her best friend starts with "Herrera here," She makes a point at stopping and looking straight at her, as if it is not clear who she is speaking about. Andy looks around, praying that the alarm will go off, calling them to a case, any case, before Maya has a chance to finish that sentence. "Had walked of shamed into our apartment this morning, wearing last night's clothes, smelling of a man's cologne."

Vic stops everything she is handling, and turns her head to Andy with a meaningful look, her jaw dropping just slightly. "Go Andy!" She cheers. "I guess your doctor friends have somewhat of a good impact on you after all. Since I am very much proud of you, and only a little bit jealous, I will need all the details. Who is he? How did you meet?"

"How good was he?" Maya interrupts, pulling her fingers away from each other to symbolize a curtain length, and Andy can guess what kind of too inappropriate to be discussed at a workplace question she really wants to ask.

Andy rolls her eyes. She knows she won't be able to dodge the curiosities, so she answers as shortly and as quickly as she can. "I went to Joe's last night with Grey, Pierce and Shepherd and he was there. I am not going to tell you his name, but I am going to say that yes, he was very, very good. But guys, there is nothing to talk about, it was just one night. We didn't even exchange phone numbers."

"So, something like this?" Maya asks as she pulls her fingers further away from each other.

Flashes of last night come to Andy's mind. His skin on hers, his tongue on the curve where her breast meets her bra, then his breath right there making her shiver. His kisses, his touches, the way he moved beneath her, with her.

She blushes, and it gives her away.

Maya and Vic change meaningful glances, before Hughes says "The shy school girl look on your face doesn't really suit you, and it tells a different story. Spill it, sister."

She is saved by a loud shout coming from outside the station, calling them to line up, telling them Chief Ripley will be there in a moment to introduce station 19's new Captain.

They all form a line as the Chief approaches. "I would like to introduce you all to the new Captain of station 19. Captain Robert Sullivan."

Andy can't hear anything said after that moment. Robert, or Captain Sullivan as she should refer to him starting this moment forward, looks deep into her eyes as he speaks. She traces a spark of recognition in his eyes, letting her know that he didn't magically forget her over night. Everything from last night comes back to her, wave after wave of pleasure, her fingers trailing across his defined abs, his lips kissing her lower belly. The tow-curling sensation when he made her come, and then come again.

The man she shared one of the best nights of her life with is her new Captain.

It feels like the earth is free falling beneath her feet, yet he looks completely put together, not a bit as affected by this situation as she is. Last night she was in his bed, explaining all the things she wanted him to do to her, all the parts of her body she wanted him to explore, with very vivid descriptions. Today he is the man who took the job she has been dreaming of since she was a seven years old, running around with her father's helmet on, away from her fingertips, and she has to answer everything he orders with a "Yes, Sir."

She isn't listening to whatever he has to say, her mind racing 100 miles per hour. When all of her peers get inside the station, she follows them without really knowing what she has to do next, and she can only hope he didn't say anything too important.

She manages to grab Maya by the wrist on her way in, digs her fingernails hard into her best friend's skin to get her attention. Maya hisses with pain, and Andy has to gather all the strength she got in order to prevent her voice from shaking as she whispers into her best friend's ear "Maya, I walk of shamed out of his place this morning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't speak Italian, so hold google translate accountable to any mistakes. Hope you will let me know what you think and if you want to read more of this story


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this chapter takes place right before season 2 episode 2, and the second part just after the episode's ending.  
> I Just wanted to drop by and say thank you to everyone who left a comment and wanted to read more from my take on Surrera's relationship.   
> I hope you will enjoy this, and as always, I will really appreciate your thoughts.

“I hate you.” Andy grants as she enters Grey Sloan Memorial through the ambulance access. Meredith, Amelia and Maggie are standing at the ER, leaning against the main station, talking about something, completely oblivious to Andy angrily walking toward them. 

“Dean, can you take care of the paperwork? There is something I need to do, but I will meet you back here in a few minutes.” Her partner accepts her request without a question, knows better than to start arguing. She won’t deny it, she has been upset the last few days since Reply announced their new Captain. She is sure Maya gave everyone a heads up, warning them not to get on her bad side, and they probably think she is acting out because neither her nor Jack got the job they both wanted. Instead, Ripley brought in a complete stranger to their home. 

Oh, if only they knew the truth. 

Sure, Sullivan is infuriating. He doesn’t do anything the way things used to be done around station 19. The way her father did things. They way she knows Jack or herself would have acted as Captain. Instead, he spends time inspecting their uniform, he never eats his meals with them, and he criticizes every single thing she does. 

She hates him. 

What she hates the most about him, is the way she feels every time he is around. She feels as if the air is electrified. She remembers the one night they spent together vividly, recalling the way he made her feel every time she can sense his presence. She feels a need to experience those sensations again, a primal need she can’t really control. She loves sex, as much as any other woman, but she can sure as hell live without it if she has to, or find it somewhere else. So why did she find herself outside of his office the other night, ready to ask him to take her again, the way he did when they arrived at his place? 

Then he reprimands her again for something insignificant, and all of the desire that was building up inside of her is directed toward hating him again. 

To be honest, these last few days have been exhausting for Andy Herrara. 

“Hey, Herrera.” Meredith greets her, oblivious to the pure anger in her eyes. “We were just wondering what happened after you left Joe’s bar the other night. We haven’t seen you ever since.” 

Andy shoots the best death glare she can master to each of them before calling. “I hate you.” She looks at Meredith. “I hate you.” Then at Maggie. “And I most definitely hate you.” She points at Amelia. 

“That good, uh?” Meredith asks. 

“Let’s go.” Andy urges them to follow her.

“Yes please, details.” Maggie exclaims excitedly. 

“I actually have a consult to give.” Amelia starts to protest, but then Andy glares at her once again and she adds “but I guess it can wait.” 

The three surgeons and firefighter go up one flight of stairs, then take a couple turns. She just needs some privacy, somewhere Miller won’t be able to accidentally eavesdrop their conversation, and talking about her sex life at the front of the ER didn’t seem like the best idea. 

Andy hears someone calling her name as she walks. “Herrera, What are you doing kidnapping my Department Chiefs?”

She turns around before answering quickly. “I am sorry, Dr. Bailey. I just need them to be my friends, and not you surgeons, for five minutes. Then I will return them to you, I promise.” 

They don’t stay long enough to hear Bailey’s answer, as Andy finds a supply closet and shoves all her friends into it unceremoniously. 

“You really should knock before walking into one of those.” Grey remarks. “People tend to have sex in here much more often then you realize, and they don’t always remember to lock the door.” 

Andy just grants at that, and falls down to a sitting position against the wall. She buries her head in her palms, as she props her elbows on her knees. “I feel like I have been falling apart this last couple of days.” She admits. 

“What was wrong with him?” Maggie inquires. “Did he have some kind of weird feet fetish?”

“His thing didn’t go up?” Meredith asks. 

“Or was he really small and you were left alone and unsatisfied?” Amelia adds.

“No, he was perfect, that night was perfect, as perfect as one night stands can go.” Andy admits, rising her head up so she can look at her friends, all standing above her, forming a half circle. “He was kind, and he didn’t have any weird kinks, none that I could detect, anyway. And he was so, so good in bed. It felt so good, probably one of the best I have ever had. I mean, have you seen the guy?”

Amelia nods before she says “Oh, we have all seen him. And I think I can safely say in the name of us all that we were a little jealous when we saw you two leaving the bar hand in hand. So, what the hell is the big problem?” 

“The problem is that he is my new boss. And to be honest, as good as he was between the sheets, I hate him as a Captain. He is humorless, he micromanages, and he has zero trust in any of us, but it feels he has the least amount of trust in me. The problem is, that seeing him again made every nerve of me want to feel the way he made me feel that night. He makes me want to pull his pants down, and choke him to death with his belt at the same time.”

“That is not a real problem.” Meredith argues. “I mean, the way he treats you sucks, but I met Derek when I was an intern. And we had a relationship, even though he was my superior.”

“I slept with an intern, even though technically I am his boss.” Maggie adds. 

“Surprisingly, I haven’t done such a thing, but I definitely wouldn’t put it past me.” Amelia finishes. 

Andy can’t help but release a short laugh at the awkward confessions. “OK, I don’t know what is going on in this hospital, but it is not like that at the fire department. Superiors can’t have any kind of sexual or romantic relationship with their subordinates. It can lead to very poor decision making in life or death situations. And if anyone finds out, it will have devastating consequences on both of our careers. Other than that, I really think he doesn’t like me at all. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, he always has a petty little thing to say about every single thing I do. Like I could never meet his standards, no matter how hard I try.” 

Meredith reaches out her hand for Andy to take, helping her get up on her feet again. “Then go back to the station, and make him like you. Be awesome. Be the badass firefighter we know you can be. Show him you deserve nothing but his respect.” 

“Really, you have to go back, cause I am really late for this consult, and if you stay here, I will probably torture you until you give me all of the dirty details from the night you spent together.” Amelia admits as she pushes the door open for her sisters to exit the dark closet.

Andy feels better already as she runs down the stairs, hopping off of them two by two. 

*******

“I am sorry for today.” Andy apologizes to Maya as she is going through the cabinets in the beanery. They are both almost ready to turn in for the night, and just looking for something to munch on as they try to clear the air between them. Maybe, if they are lucky enough, they will get some time to rest before their next call. 

“I thought I had it. I thought I could just jump in the drain and save this boy, but I was clearly wrong. I ruined things for you, and I put our team through a lot of unnecessary work.”

Maya shrugs, and Andy knows she is forgiven. 

They have been best friends since the first day of training. Had no other choice, actually, since they were the only two women in a class full of men. They have had each other’s back since that day, always been there when their friend needed them the most. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t have their fair share of fights and arguments.

True friendship isn’t measured by your ability to stay away from fighting. Maya once said after a big disagreement between the two. It is measured by how quickly you can apologize, forgive, and come out stronger on the other side. 

“I like your PJs.” Maya remarks. “Very sexy.” She raises her eyebrows suggestively. Andy’s sleeping attire is a bit revealing, to say the least. She is wearing a tight tank top, and even tighter shorts, which she knows leave very little room for imagination, but works wonders on her ass. 

She doesn’t know why she picked this specific sleeping wear as she was going through her choices earlier this evening. Frankly, she has more clothes at work than in her own house, considering the amount of time she spends at the fire station. It is not as if anyone is going to see her. Everyone else has already gone to bed by now, and if they get called in the middle of the night, Andy’s outfit will be the last thing concerning anyone’s mind. 

Andy picks up an energy bar from the cupboard she is currently going through, and throws it in her best friend’s general direction. 

“I never should have told you. Now I am not going to hear the end of it.” Andy buries her face in her hands.

“True that.” Maya agrees as she opens the snack that has been thrown at her and takes a big bite. 

Andy pulls out another bar from the cabinet, peels the wrapper off and takes a chunk apart with her fingers. She places the piece in her mouth and talks as she chews. “What can I say, I am hot.” 

“Yes you are.” Maya agrees, and they both laugh gently, trying not to choke on their food as they do so. 

Andy turns around as she hears someone clears their throat behind her. 

Great, just perfect. Sullivan is standing behind her, still wearing his uniform, and a stern look in his eyes. “Herrera. A word in my office. Now.” 

Andy and Maya change a questioning look, before Andy puts her half eaten snack away and pushes herself off the counter. 

Maya mouths “Keep your knees together.” in her direction, without making a sound. 

Andy rolls her eyes at that, making sure Maya can see, then follows her captain, to face whatever he has in store for her. 

They walk silently to his office, in an amount of time that feels like a small forever, but actually takes less than two minutes. 

“Close the door behind you.” He orders, not inviting her to sit down. 

“If you want to yell, go ahead and yell. I already got the speech from Gibson and Bishop. I know what I did was wrong, but I really thought I could get the situation under control. The kid was right down there, and so was I.” Andy tries to reason her actions, even if she knows it is in vain. It seems as if all he wants to do is to lash out at her. 

“If I want to yell? No, I don’t want to yell, Herrera.” Sullivan raises his tone, yet Andy looks him straight in the eye, refuses to look down. “I want to scream, I want to make the walls of this building come down. I want to put you on desk duty for the next month until you are buried beneath a pile of paperwork. I want to demote you, I want to send you to pack your things. Then I want to take you right here on this desk, and do all those things to you so you will be the one screaming my name.” 

Andy is taken by surprise hearing his confession. This is the first time he acknowledges the night they shared. Up until now, he had treated her with a cold and distant manner, as if he was not affected one bit by the thing they both shared. However, tonight the fire in his eyes is back, a heat she hasn’t seen ever since she walked out from his bed that morning, after they have been up all night fucking each other senselessly. 

“Damn it, Herrera, you make it so hard for me to respect you, to appreciate you, to like you. And God knows how, you make it even harder for me to stop wanting you with everything I have.” Sullivan slams his fist on his desk, with so much force Andy is afraid he will break the desk, his hand, or maybe both. 

“I am your captain. You don’t get to talk back to me. You don’t get to jump in before thinking. Your friends get to have a chance to prove their own worth, even if you think you can do better. You don’t get to risk our patients. You don’t get to risk any member of our team. And most certainly, you don’t get to risk your own life to play some kind of a hero.” Robert stops to take a breath, and she can swear he is shivering with pure rage by now. “I don’t know what firefighters around here are used to, but as long as I am captain, we work as a team, and no one jumps ahead, unless you are following my orders. Are we clear?”

He moves around the desk, and closes the distance between them. She noticed how tall he really is when they first danced together at the parking lot outside of Grey Sloan Memorial, and back then she found it oh so attractive. Now it is different, though. As he looks down at her, his height adds some kind of a silent threat to the one he already said out loud.

The air between them is thick with anger and something that very much resembles sexual tension. 

“Yes sir, I understand.” Andy responses. “Is that all?” She asks as every inch of her itches with the need to get out the room, to flee before she has a chance to do or say something she will regret deeply come tomorrow morning. 

“One more thing.” He is closing the distance between them, now close enough so she can feel his breath against her neck. 

She can hate him as much as she wants, it does nothing to change the fact that her body reacts in anticipation just from the feel of him almost pressing against her. 

“God knows I am trying to keep my hands to myself around you, even though I know how good you can make me feel. I am doing so because I know how destructive it can be for the both of us if something more will happen, if someone finds out. So it will be very helpful if I don’t see you wearing these shorts, ever again. It is an order from your captain.” He whispers in her ear. 

Then he walks away from her, even though she is standing in his office and she is the one who has to leave. As he reaches to open the door, he turns around, and she can trace a bit of care in his eyes, another feeling she hasn’t seen since he was announced captain of her station. “Go to sleep, Herrera.” He says in a soft voice, no sign left of the harsh tone he used to scold her just a moment ago. “We might have a long night ahead of us.”


	4. Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> Just wanted to drop by and say thank you all so much for coming back, reading and leaving comments.  
> The first part of this chapter is my take on a scene from episode 3 season 2, and the second part takes place right after this episode ends.  
> As always, I will really appreciate it if you take the time to leave your thoughts.  
> Hope you enjoy!

“What the hell are you doing to my house?” Maya asks as she enters the apartment after just finishing her morning run. 

“This is our house.” Andy corrects her roommate. “And this shelf looked so empty and sad, so I decided to put some stuff on it to make it look more homey. I have books, fire manuals, and I even have a couple pictures of us.” Andy flips the frame in her hand so Maya can take a look at the photo. It is a picture of the both of them from a party she can’t remember going to, but from the look of things, it seems like they had a great time. 

Andy keeps organizing and reorganizing the items she has placed on the shelf, as Maya just stares at her, trying to figure out what the hell her best friend is doing. 

“You are fidgeting.” Maya determines as she makes her way to the kitchen. “Stop fidgeting and ruining my house. These shelves have been standing empty for a reason. You know, negative space, less is more and all of that.” The former Olympic runner says as she refills her water bottle.

“I am fidgeting.” Andy admits as she finally put all of the unnecessary things back in the box. 

“We don’t organize.” Maya states, as she pulls a box of Lucky Charms out of the cabinet. “When we need to vent, I go on a run, and you stuff your face with sugary cereal you eat straight out of the box. So take the box, stuff your face and tell me what's on your mind. Just please, do me a favor and stop redecorating my perfectly well decorated apartment.”

Maya passes the box to her best friend, and Andy takes it without saying a thing, opening it and reaching straight in with her fingers. It is nice, she thinks, to have someone in the world who knows you, who you can say anything to and not be afraid to get judgment back, who is just there, by your side, at all times. 

Maya lets Andy have a few bites before asking “So are we fidgeting about what happened in Sullivan's office after he called you in? Did you guys go at it again? I tried to follow you and listen but his office has surprisingly thick walls.” 

“No! We haven’t had sex ever since I found out he is going to be our captain. And you were trying to eavesdrop on us?” Andy raises her brow questioningly before taking another handful of cereal into her mouth. 

“I was curious! He looked really agitated when he walked in the beanery.” Maya tries to justify her actions. 

“I am surprised you didn’t hear anything. He was yelling so loud I thought he was going to wake everyone at the station.” Andy crushes into the sofa before she continues. “He said he wanted to bury me in paperwork, he said he wanted to fire me. Then he made a comment about my shorts, but it wasn’t a fun one like you did. I swear to God, I thought that if either of us lost even an inch of our self control at that moment, he was going to rip those shorts off of me with his teeth. And he hasn’t talked to me ever since. It has been a week. So yeah, I fidget.” Andy says before reaching back into the box and filling her mouth once again. 

There is a sound of keys crackling in the keyhole, perfectly synchronized with the noise of Andy chowing on the crunchy cereal. 

Vic storms into their apartment, her hair a mess of black curls and the look on her face very much sleep deprived.

“You smell of sex.” Maya notes. “And why the hell do you have a key to my place?” 

“You are no fun.” Vic pouts as she is making her way to the kitchen. She opens a cupboard, pulls out a mug, and fills it to the brim with the fresh, hot coffee Andy made while she was still on her organizing attack.

“I was coming to share the news with you, as it is our tradition.” Hughes says as she sits on the sofa right next to Andy, who is not very happy about the fact that she has to move over so her friend will have enough room. 

“It is only a tradition if we have done this before.” Andy points out as she chews on some more cereal. She has probably inhaled half the box by now, and the sugar highs and lows she is going to suffer from for the rest of the day are going to be hard to handle. 

Oh, if only she cared enough to stop eating. 

“You came to fill me in when Andy had that one night stand with mister tall and handsome stranger a couple of weeks ago.” 

Both Maya and Andy choke at how oblivious Vic is, being the only one among them who doesn’t know the identity of the man Andy spent the night with. 

“Yeah about that…” Maya starts, but Andy interrupts her as she throws little bits of cereal at her before she has time to complete the sentence. 

“You should really stop throwing food at me every time you don’t approve of what I have to say.” Maya says as she tries to aim the cereal back at Andy. 

“So Vic, how was your night? Who was he?”Andy asks while she is still under attack, trying to stir the conversation away from herself and into a safer zone. 

“He is Mr. Station 23. And my night was very good, thank you very much for asking.” Vic replies before taking a sip from her coffee. 

“I just have to say, I really don’t approve of fighter fighters dating each other.” Andy remarks jokingly. 

“OK that’s it, I have to tell her. This is not funny anymore.” Maya says. 

“Guys, what is going on? Why are you stuffing your face with Lucky Charms?” Vic asks as she points at Andy. “You only eat cereal out of the box when you think no one else is watching, or if something is bothering you so much that you don’t mind other people seeing you contaminating everyone’s food.” 

“Fine, tell her, but make sure she puts down her mug first, otherwise our couch will smell like coffee and will be stained for the rest of the year.” 

Vic puts down her mug slowly and straightens in her seat. “Seriously, can somebody fill me in on what exactly is going on?”

“The man Andy has slept with is Sullivan. And from the way she has been stewing about it for the last two weeks, it is so obvious she wants to do it again.” Maya blurts out so quickly Andy is not sure Vic even had the time to digest what she has just heard.

“I am sorry, come again?” Sullivan? Our captain Sullivan?” Vic asks. “Mister best sex of your life is Sullivan?” 

Andy thinks Vic couldn’t look more shocked even if she was the star of Days of Our Lives or some other kind of stupid soap opera, and her character has just found out her lover is also her half brother or something of this sort. 

“I didn’t know who he was when I approached. We talked about things that had nothing to do with work, and from some point on we were not doing much talking at all. I left his place before he got dressed, so I didn’t see the uniform. I didn’t know who he was before Ripley introduced him. And no Maya, it is not going to happen again.” 

“But you want it to happen again, don’t you?” Bishop asks as she snatches the box out of Andy’s hands and takes a handful of the sugary goodness straight into her mouth. 

“You know what I want? I want to be easy Andy, who doesn’t take to heart anything that Sullivan says, and doesn’t spend hours freaking out about the things that he does or doesn’t do. And I want you to get your lazy asses off the couch and go get ready, otherwise we are going to be late, and I have every intention to stop giving this man more reasons to hate me.” 

Both Maya and Vic can barely hear the last part of the sentence, as Andy walks down the hall and disappears into the bathroom. 

********

Andy can’t sleep. 

She has been turning in her bed for who knows how long, but it has been just one of those nights for her. A night where there are so many thoughts rushing through her mind, keeping her awake, even though her body is exhausted, every muscle in her body hurts with fatigue, desperate to get some rest. 

What if her instincts are betraying her? What if she is not able to make good calls anymore? She won’t be able to live with herself if something will happen to a patient, or to one of her team members, because of poor decision making on her side. 

When it becomes clear that she won’t be able to sleep until she finds a way to quiet the train of thoughts racing through her head, she gets up and changes into the shorts and top Sullivan mentioned just a week ago she is not allowed to wear around him, ever again. 

She won’t admit it, not even to herself, but he is a part of the reason she can’t get any rest. She overthinks everything he says, over analyzes every look he sends her way. She almost has herself convinced that the thing between them is nothing but an outcome of her own imagination. There is just no way the night they spent together could have been as amazing as she remembers it. 

Maybe it is the exhaustion taking over the part in her brain that knows right from wrong, but she has to explore, and she has to do it tonight. No matter the outcome, she will probably feel better knowing. 

Because she can’t keep walking around with that ache in her stomach, like she had swallowed a giant magnet that keeps pulling her toward him, no matter how hard she tries to resist. 

Andy sneaks out like a thief in the night, as if what she is about to do is illegal. She tiptoes all the way across the hall, afraid to wake one of her partners up, afraid to do something that will give her a chance to change her mind. It takes only a few moments to get to the captain’s office, but she ends up standing outside for five long minutes, walking back and forth across the closed door over and over again. 

He is there, she can see the lights are on behind the open blinds and him sitting behind his desk, looking down, his brow furrowed in concentration. She is not sure he had seen her standing there, but if their weird connection is anything for him like it is for her, she is sure he can sense her presence outside the room. 

He just waits for her to take the first step. Waits for her to initiate what they both know is undeniable, unstoppable, like a force of nature no human being can resist. 

“Stop fidgeting.” Andy whispers, and imagines it comes from Maya. If her best friend was here, she would have definitely been pushing her toward the door by now. Andy takes a deep breath, then knocks quietly. 

It starts to feel like she has made another very bad decision, but there is no way she is taking it back now. 

“Come in, Herrera.” He calls, not lifting his eyes from the paper he was going through. So he knew she was standing there after all. Well, he is still in for one more surprise. 

“I was scared today.” She starts with a confession. “In the fraction of a second before I managed to take your hand, before you pulled me out of the collapsing apartment, I was truly scared. And I take pride in never being afraid, I earn my living running toward danger, and I can’t imagine it being any other way. But it seems like in the past two weeks, I have found myself in a frightening situation three times already. The first time was when I approached you at Joe’s bar. The second time was earlier today, when I could feel the floor collapsing into itself and almost taking me down with it. And the third time is right here, right now.” 

He finally raises his eyes from the work he has been doing. He looks as tired as she feels, but the fire in his eyes ignites again when he sees what she is wearing. She took a chance coming here, wearing the clothes he ordered to keep locked deep in her closet. There are two ways things can go from here on out: exactly as she wants them to, or they can take a very bad turn. 

“I thought I was clear when I said I don’t want to see you in these shorts again.” Sullivan says, raising from his chair and closing the distance between them in three large steps. 

Andy doesn’t move, waiting to see how he reacts before progressing. So they just stand there for a moment, looking deep into each other’s eyes, waiting for the other to break down and do the one thing they both know is inevitable.

This is definitely the hottest staring contest she has ever been a part of. 

He lowers his head, and for a minute she thinks he is about to give in and kiss her. But then he places his lips almost directly against her ear, and whispers. “You have no idea what you do to me, Andrea Herrera.” 

“You didn’t ask why I feel scared right now.” Andy says, her voice trembeling. 

“Oh I know. You are so scared because you are used to having everything you want given to you on a silver platter. Not this time. If you want this as much as I do, you will have to come and take it.” 

The anger flares up inside her again. He has no idea what he is talking about. He doesn’t know her, so how can he just arrogantly assume she has always gotten what she wanted and never had to move a finger for it. 

She is determined to prove him wrong. 

Andy doesn’t allow herself to think, to analyze, to weigh out the consequences, before wrapping her arms around Robert's neck and kissing him like her life depends on it. 

He pulls back just a bit, surprised by the fact that she has actually done it, she has taken the first step. It takes no longer than a minute for his shock to change into desire. 

His lips meet hers again, and he pushes her back until the back of her legs hit the desk, never breaking the kiss. She has nowhere to go, being trapped by the desk and the beautiful man she is kissing hungrily, so she has no other choice but to sit, knocking a few things down as she does. 

Andy wraps her legs around his waist and pulls the shirt he is wearing off of him in one swift move, tossing it unceremoniously somewhere on the floor. Her fingers trail up and down his shoulder blades, exploring his skin, feeling every defined muscle beneath her hands.

God, medical schools can teach the anatomy of the human muscles off of his body, no textbook required. 

They keep kissing, yet he doesn’t do anything more, waits for her to approve it is fine to progress, or to signal him this is as far as she wishes to go tonight. She pulls her own shirt over her head and drops it slowly, and that does the trick alright. She can see him staring at the black lace bra she is wearing, his eyes dark with lust, his tongue trails his lower lip hungrily. 

She feels alive. 

Andy holds onto him and orders. “Bed. Now.” 

He does as she bids, picks her up and carries her into the bedroom as if she weighs nothing at all. He kicks the door close, and as he drops her on the bed and hovers on top of her, she can’t think anymore, only feel with everything she has.

She has found a way to quiet her mind, at last.


	5. Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, you guys have no idea how much I appreciate the fact that you are reading my story and leaving comments. Thank you so much!   
> This chapter takes place a little while after the last part.  
> I hope you enjoy all the fluff

“Stay.” Robert pleads in a husky voice, as Andy rolls out of his bed and reaches for her clothes scattered all around the floor. 

“You know I can’t.” She tries to explain as she is going through the pile of uniform tossed on the ground, deliberating which item of clothing is hers, and which belongs to the handsome man lying naked on the bed in front of her. “We can’t risk anyone seeing me running out of your room if there is a call.” 

“Five more minutes.” He almost begs, and Andy can’t help but find it cute, find him cute. “I just need to feel you lying in my arms, all naked and warm and soft, for five more minutes. Then I will let you go, and no one will ever know. No harm done.”

“Fine.” She agrees, and crawls back to his bed. He embraces her, and lying between his arms she thinks they are so comfortable with each other, it might be possible she was made to fit beside his body. 

While she is lying silently in his embrace, she can’t help but think it is as if he has two different personalities. Outside, at the station, in front of everyone he is Captain Sullivan. The harsh, uncompromising boss who she can’t help but hate. He is petty, he is hard, he never smiles. He is fast to criticize and not gives positive feedback near as much as he should. Then she walks into his office, into his bed, and there she meets Robert, who is an entirely different man. He is a true gentleman, who has soft sides. He knows how to make her laugh, he is sensitive to her needs, he always makes sure she is satisfied. He doesn't want her to leave in the middle of the night so he can spoon her for a few minutes, or maybe so he won’t feel like all that is happening between them is nothing but meaningless sex, even though it is the reality. 

And she can’t help but think that if she had only seen the caring and compassionate side of him, she would have probably fallen in love with him by now. Instead, he keeps making her so angry that she spins out of control. He makes her feel like her whole body is burning in rage, a fire only he can put out by making her come. 

Rinse, repeat. 

“You smell nice.” Robert says, placing his nose on her neck and inhaling deeply.

“No I don’t.” She argues, pushing him away lightly. “I smell like sex, and like you.” 

“Which happens to be my favorite kind of perfume you use.” He chuckles into her skin, raising goosebumps all over. “How come we can only talk and not yell at each other when we are lying in the afterglow?” He whispers into her ear, his fingers stroking her arm slowly. 

“That’s the effect an orgasm has on the human body. It makes us relaxed, more comfortable, more at ease. That is the reason we can lie here, exploring each other's bodies, and not be at each other’s throats at the same time.” 

“Oh, I can be at your throat if you want me to.” He suggests, and before she knows it he is rolling on top of her. His teeth graze the skin on her neck gently, then he places little kisses all over. 

“Mmm… OK.” Andy hums her approval. “Just make sure I don’t leave with a hickey or any kind of teeth marks on my neck. Unlike the way we feel around each other, we are not a couple of horny high school students anymore. A bite mark will be very hard to explain.” 

“You can always say you came face to face with Edward Cullen.” He laughs, before resuming nibbling her soft skin. 

She wraps her arms around him as she says, out of breath. “I don’t know if I should be impressed or embarrassed for you for knowing who Edward Cullen is. Do you have a secret teenage daughter that I have never heard of hiding somewhere in your house?” 

“No, I don’t. Now shut up, enjoy, and let me have my way with you.” 

Andy nods eagerly as he trails the kiss down, from her neck to her clavicle to her shoulder. She is wet again, and she can feel him starting to harden against her hip, and when did cuddling for five more minutes became the beginning of a foreplay leading to him being inside her again?

Not that she cares, she doesn’t think she could care even if she wanted to, considering the fact his fingers are caressing the inside of her thighs, the way he knows make her sigh in pleasure. 

He stops when they hear a knock on the door, and a voice saying. “Hey Sully, it’s me. Why is the door to your office locked?” 

“Damn it, Ripley.” Robert grunts as he rolls off of her. “You stay here. Naked. And lock the door. I will be back to finish what I have started, you can count on it.” He promises and gives her a quick peck on the lips. 

Sullivan picks up his clothes, and replies to the Fire Chief waiting outside his door. “The door is locked because it is the middle of the night Luke, and I can’t really say I was expecting company.” 

Andy can’t help but chuckle at that, considering the fact that she is sitting naked on his bed, and he definitely was expecting her when she snack in here an hour or two earlier. 

Robert glares at her, and she knows that she can’t risk Ripley accidentally hearing her, but she just can’t help it. She locks the door to the captain’s bedroom, as he had asked her to do, but that doesn’t mean she can’t listen to the conversation between the two men. 

“Hey, what are you doing at the station in the middle of the night?” Her captain asks. 

“Nothing, I was just around, I thought I could bring you some of the papers I need you to go over for me by the weekend. You look weird.” The chief points out. 

“Yeah, you too.” Robert answers. “Are you sure this is the reason you came here at the middle of the night? To give me the pile of papers to review and note that I look awkward?” 

“Yeah.” Ripley says, and Andy can’t help but think how strange men act when they are around each other. “Goodnight, Sully.” 

“Goodnight, Luke.”

Andy can hear the main door of the office being shut closed, but she still waits a couple more minutes, just to be on the safe side, before unlocking the bedroom door and declaring. “He definitely did not make his way down here in the middle of the night just to give you these papers. I wonder what he really wanted.” 

“Hey, why are you dressed?” Robert asks, a confused look in his eyes. “I promised I will be back as soon as Ripley was gone, and we can pick up where we left off.” 

“I told you, the more I hang out here, the more likely it is for a call to come in and for us to get caught with our pants down, literally.” 

“Please don’t go.” He asks her again, and Andy can’t help but notice for the second time in one night how cute he looks when he pleads, like a kid who wants something so bad but his parents deny it. 

She answers it with a kiss. A deep, slow kiss, that has their tongues rolling and her toes curling. His hands are in her long hair, coming down her shoulders in soft waves. Her hands are in the loops of his pants, pulling him impossibly closer. She bites his lower lip as they part, and as she is making her way to the door, she says casually. “A real lady always leaves her man wanting more.” 

“You are going to be the death of me, Andrea Herrera.” Robert calls as she closes the door behind her softly, almost soundlessly, and runs to her own bed with a wide smile spread across her face. 

********

“Pizza party Friday night! Pizza party Friday night!” Maya calls excitedly as Andy walks back into the station with two fresh, just delivered boxes of pizza from their favorite place.

“Be quiet and get Vic in here. Do you really want one of the boys hijacking our food?” Andy hisses in her best friend’s direction. 

They don’t normally do it, eat alone, just the three of them. Meal times are sacred at station 19, and everyone eats their meals together. It is an unwritten rule, part of the station’s bible going from mouth to ear every time a new rookie comes by. 

Yet the shift is slow, and they wanted to do something special, just the three of them. So when dinner time came around, they all made pretty unconvincing excuses as to why they are eating so little, and then Andy went and made a secret phone call to the new pizza place they all really like. 

Two family style pizzas with extra pepperoni on top. 

“Is it here?” Vic shouts from her place, sitting at the top of the fire truck, and Andy curses silently. If anyone finds out, they are going to get angry faces from all of the men of the station for the next week or so, and it is not like she needs to find herself in any more trouble. She already has enough on her plate as it is. 

The firefighters of station 19 are dead serious when it comes to food. 

“Do you think you can manage climbing up here with just one hand so you can bring the pizza up with the other?” Vic asks. 

“Sure.” Andy answers, even though she doesn’t sound too convincing. “I can take one, and Maya can take the other as she comes up.” 

God knows how, but both of the female firefighters manage to bring the food to their secret hideaway without any of it ending up spilled all over the floor. The three of them sit close to each other on the top of the ladder, so they can speak as low as possible, to minimize the risk of someone accidentally hearing them, the boxes of pizza resting between them. 

“If there is an incoming call right now, and the alarm will go off, we are so screwed. Sullivan is going to kill us. I am sure we are breaking protocol in about a dozen different ways right now.” Vic remarks as she opens the first box and pulls out a big, cheesy slice of pizza. “We are going to be on toilet cleaning duty for the rest of our lives.” 

“If this happens, I am sure Herrera will find a way to help us get back at the captain’s good graces. Or maybe she can only help herself be on his good side these days.” Maya remarks, as she picks up a slice herself and shoves in without any grace into her mouth. 

It takes Vic a long moment, in which she just looks dumbstruck back and forth between Maya and Andy, before yelling “No. No way .Again? Andy!” 

“Again, and Again, and how many times does it count if we did it twice in one night?” Andy sounds proud as she replies. She knows it is not a competition, but for the first time since she has met Vic and Maya, it seems like she is getting laid most frequently out of them all, and she isn’t the one who has to sit around listening to Maya talking about all the amazing sex she had. 

“Ew no!” Vic exclaims. “I do not want to count how many times you and Sullivan had sex in the captain’s office while we were all sleeping. I don’t think I will be able to go in there ever again, or look him in the eye for that matter.” Then she turns to Maya and says, as if Andy is nothing but thin air. “She just can’t keep it in her pants, can she?” 

“I am right here!” Andy calls with her mouth still full. “OK look. Sullivan is like a pizza. But not this pizza, not just any pizza.” She points down at whatever is left from the box she has brought just a couple of minutes ago. “He is the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life. I have never tried a pizza this good, and I don’t think I will come across a pizza this good ever again, assuming I start eating out at other pizza places. His pizza looks amazing, smells heavenly, and it is the most delicious slice I have ever tasted. And I started eating it, knowing full well it is fine to sample a slice or two, nothing will happen. We all get to treat ourselves from time to time.”

“True that.” Maya approves with a mouthful of the tomatoey, cheesy goodness. 

“The problem is,” Andy continues, in spite of being interrupted. “I only found out how good his pizza is after I have tried it for the first time, and I can’t help myself but coming back for more. And this pizza is so good, the best thing I have ever eaten, but it is also full of carbs and fats, and I know that it tastes so good now, but at the end it will make me feel sick, fat, unhealthy, and will probably cause my skin to break out. Yet I just can’t stop eating from his goddamn pizza, no matter how hard I try. All I can do is eat the pizza, and when I am not eating it, I am thinking about when I will be able to put my hands on just another slice again.”

“So are we referring to Sullivan’s dick as pizza from now on?” Maya asks. 

“And thank you Bishop, for spoiling my appetite and ruining pizza for me, forever. I will never look at pizza the same way again, and I have the two of you sex crazed women to thank for.” Vic throws her half eaten slice at the box theatrically, to prove her point. 

“Well in that case…” Andy drifts off, as she picks up Vic’s leftovers from the cardboard. She puts everything in her mouth in one, big bite, and chews quickly. Then she licks her fingers clean and hums in satisfaction. 

Maya and Vic just stare at her, completely shocked, for one long moment, then all three of them roll out in a big fit of laughter. 

Andy knows they are being too loud, and someone is bound to hear them eventually, but she is having so much fun at the moment she just can’t bring herself to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we all know what Ripley was really doing at station 19 at the middle of the night ;)  
> I will love to hear your thoughts!


	6. Part 6- The Bubble (A)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> A few important notes before you start reading.  
> First of all, thank you so much, each and every one of you for the support. I don't take the fact that you are reading and reviewing for granted.  
> I have decided to post this chapter in two parts, just so it will be easier to read. I am posting the two parts today so there is no waiting.  
> There is a dialog between Andy and Sullivan in the first part of the chapter that is supposed to be in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish, and I thought that using google translate back and forth will kinda ruin my story. So the part that is supposed to be in Spanish was supposed to be in italics, but AO3 won't show it like that unfortunately. I hope it makes sense anyway and I am sorry if it doesn't.  
> And finally, I have decided to switch things up a bit and start doing flashbacks. I will really appreciate you leaving a comment and saying if you like it or if it is confusing for you.  
> That's it, I hope you enjoy!

The station is buzzing with activity today. 

There are police officers and firefighters everywhere, talking, teaching and learning. The officers practice CPR on dummies and the members of A shift in station 19 are teaching them all there is to know in order to keep a victim alive until more help comes. 

So in the middle of all the hustle, Andy doesn’t notice that something is different about Sullivan today. Sure, Montgomery made a comment about him being more uptight than usual, but he is always cold and distant when it comes to her, during the day anyway, so Andy doesn’t think much about it. 

She has enough on her plate when Ryan is assigned to work with her. He is so confident he knows what he is doing, and Andy keeps thinking about the awkward turn their friendship has taken. She doesn’t share with him much anymore, and how can she talk about the most important thing happening in her life anyway? She can’t just go and say she is having this incredible, mind-blowing sex with this man who drives her crazy, both for the right and wrong reasons, and not to mention he is also her boss and what they are doing is strictly forbidden. 

It has become so much easier to talk with Maya and Vic, or with Meredith, Maggie and Amelia, in the past few months.

She is not really paying attention to the other teams in the station, too concentrated on not picking a fight with Ryan, which turns out to be a way harder task than she anticipated. 

So it takes her time to notice Maya and Jack are both busier flirting with one of the officers, competing with each other on who gets her number first. They crack jokes and share personal information, and do little of the teaching they are actually supposed to do. 

“I see this is funny to you two.” Sullivan says. Maya replies, but she has lowered her tone apologetically, and Andy can’t hear what she is saying from where she stands across the barn. She can hear Sullivan though, because by now he already moved to fully yelling at her best friend, and she decides to get closer, because knowing her captain, this is going to go down quickly. 

“You are treating this day like a damn field trip. Your victim’s life depends on you, and you alone. It is not supposed to be fun, or funny. It is about responsibility, every moment counts. Bishop, you are unprofessional, unfocused, and you are treating this day as if you are using a dating app and you are trying to pick someone up. The whole purpose of this day is teaching, so flirt on your own free time!” 

“Oh, like you haven’t treated this station like it was Tinder since before you even got here.” Maya mumbles under her breath, but both Andy and Sullivan can hear it. 

As soon as the words leave Maya’s mouth, the three of them realize she has gone too far.  
Sullivan pales hearing her, then goes red with rage. 

“She knows?” Sullivan asks in Spanish.

“We are teaching the basics on dummies today. It is just an exercise, it doesn't count. Not enough to be singling Bishop out the entire day.” Andy raises her voice but keeps talking in English, because for some reason, he doesn’t understand that speaking Spanish in front of everyone will make it oh so obvious that this is personal, and make everything so much worse. 

Yes, they argue a lot in front of the entire station, she even dares to speak her mind to him while they are on call. But this is different. He seems out of control, like he can’t think straight about the ramifications of his words and actions. Something is off today. 

“I don’t even know why I am surprised. You always jump ahead, never think of the consequences, so of course you will do something that will jeopardize both of our careers. All it takes is one fight between the two of you, one call I make that she won’t approve of, and she can be running to the department with our secret in her hands. She has the power to ruin the both of us.” He keeps up with the Spanish, completely oblivious to what she was trying to do. 

“She won’t do it, I know it, I am sure of it. You make it sound like I forced myself on you.” Andy tries to keep her tone as leveled as possible. Everyone in the station already figured out something is wrong, that this is something bigger than Andy coming to Maya’s defense. The station is silent, and she can feel everyone’s eyes staring at them. 

“How can you be so sure?” He keeps digging them deeper because he can’t keep his feelings under control. This is the exact moment their little bubble pops. She should have seen this coming. 

“I am not going to apologize for letting my best friend in on what is going on in my personal life.” 

“So you won’t apologize for risking both of our careers?” Sullivan asks, and by now they are both yelling. 

In the middle of the chaos, Maya tries to apologize, but neither of them is hearing her by now, both consumed by pure rage. They are both standing close to each other, and if things have gone down a different road, they would have probably been kissing by now, stumbling across the captain’s bunk and peeling items of clothing from each other. 

“No, you are endangering our careers, by putting on a show in front of the whole station, the chief and half of the police department.” 

“Enough!” Ripley yells louder than the both of them. Andy can feel her heart beating loudly in her chest, her ears ringing with the sound of his blaming voice. “I don’t know why there is so much bad blood between the two of you, but this is definitely personal, and you should solve it behind closed doors. However, I will not let one of my captains and his lieutenant fight around in front of everyone. This is unprofessional. Get yourselves together, or otherwise I will have to start a disciplinary action against the two of you.” 

It is a clear, very real threat, yet none of them stand down, they are both just looking at each other with something that can’t be other than hate.

Suddenly, their staring contest is not as sexy as it used to be, when they were all alone and he was whispering dirty words in her ear. It definitely still has the same amount of heat, just one of a different kind. 

He is the first to stand down, walks quickly to his office and slams the door shut so hard it seems like the entire building is shaking. 

“All of you, get back to work!” Ripley orders as he follows their captain and disappears into the room. 

Andy can do nothing but stand in place, completely shocked. Everyone else is shaking things off, going back to demonstrating Heimlich or bandaging fake wounds. She just glares in the direction of the door, focusing all of the energy she has left on the very simple act of breathing. 

In, then out. In, and out again. 

“Thank you for standing up for me.” Maya approaches her after a few more minutes have passed. 

“Well, standing up for you may have cost me everything that I have.” That’s everything that Andy has in her to say, before turning around and resuming her explanation on how to maintain an open airway. 

*****  
Two weeks ago 

“I have nail marks all over my back.” Sullivan sneaks behind Andy’s back and whispers into her ear when he is sure no one is looking. “And I have you to thank for.” 

Andy mockingly covers one ear of the baby girl she is holding, and whispers. “Not in front of the child!” 

They smile at each other, and Andy knows they are having one of those rare moments when their bubble spreads outside of the bunk room just a little. It is infrequent, but they have these conversations from time to time, where no one is around, and they can talk to each other freely without getting on each other's nerves. 

Almost as if they were friends. Almost as if they actually like each other. 

“You are on baby duty.” He notes, and she nods at that. This beautiful, healthy baby gir was dropped at the front of the station this morning, with no note or explanation whatsoever. Andy has already called social services earlier, but it seems like they are overflowing with work, like they usually are, so it is going to take a couple more hours before someone will be able to come and pick her up. 

“I think of calling her Anne.” Andy suggests. 

“Why Anne?” 

“It might sound weird, but when I first saw her I thought this is probably exactly how Anne Hathaway looked like when she was a baby.” Andy changes the position of the baby in her arms just a bit so he can get a better look at her face. 

“Don’t get too attached, Herrera. It is not up to you to name her.” Sullivan warns, but Andy can see in his eyes that he was already taken by Anne as well. 

“Well, we can’t just keep calling her Baby. This is not 1963, and we are not in Dirty Dancing.” 

“OK, Anne it is.” Sullivan finally pleases. “Can I hold her for a second?” He asks, reaching his arms out in Andy’s direction.” 

“I have never thought of you as the type who likes kids.” Andy admits. 

“What can I say, babies just tend to adore me.” He shrugs, rocking Anne back and forth in his arms. 

She looks like she has taken affection to him, and stops fussing the moment he holds her in his arms. She hasn’t been this calm since the moment Andy pulled the short straw this morning and was chosen to babysit. The baby cried and whined all day, even though Andy fed her, changed her, and even sang to her when her entire team was out on a call. So even in the few moments of blissful silence Andy got from time to time, she wasn’t brave enough to try and move, afraid she would wake the baby up. 

It has been hours, and Andy is tired, hungry, and in a desperate need of a shower and a uniform change. She hasn’t left the front desk since the beginning of the shift, and yet, she doesn’t have it in her to stay mad at this bundle of pink blankets and rosy cheeks.

“Do you ever think of being a mother?” Sullivan asks out of nowhere. 

Andy is taken by surprise by his question, isn’t sure if she should address it as something that was asked by her captain, or as an inquiry from the man she has been sleeping around with on an almost daily basis for who knows how long now. 

She whispers her answer. Everyone else is way out of hearing distance, but still, she can’t risk anyone accidentally over hearing what she is about to say. It seems like everything is everyone's business at station 19 these days. “We are using condoms, and I have been on the pill since I was 18 or so. So unless you have some kind of magical sperm that can get past two different types of birth control, you can be at ease, the chances are you won’t get me knocked up.” 

He laughs at her sarcastic remark. “I know we are keeping it safe and protected, and I don’t think you are secretly having my baby or anything. I just want to get to know you better, that's all. I apologize if the question has made you uncomfortable in any way.”

“It just sounds more of a “Where is this relationship going?” kind of question than something that a captain would ask to get to know his lieutenant.” 

“Well, you and I both know we are more than a captain and his lieutenant. Never mind, forget I have ever asked.” He dismisses, his eyes look down at the baby, too embarrassed to meet her own right now. 

“I have big plans for my future.” She admits, deciding to answer his question anyway. “You know I wanted to be the captain of this station when the position opened. But I want more. I want to be Chief Andrea Herrera one day. I want to make a difference in the world as a whole, and in the Seattle Fire Department especially. I want to be someone young girls and teenagers can look up to.” Her eyes sparkle when she starts to talk about her plans for the rest of her life. “You probably think I am delusional.” 

“Not at all.” He says truthfully. “I admire your ambition.” 

“You know that being a woman of color in this department is anything but easy, to say at least. There are very few of us to begin with, and even fewer as we climb up the ranking ladder. So I know I am going to face so many difficulties on my way to the top. I am going to fight so many battles, that I wouldn’t have to be a part of if I were a white man. I want to put everything I have into my career, and I know having a child won’t allow me to do so.” 

She looks down at the desk, and he doesn’t push her to continue, just rocks Anne in his arms back and forth. “People tend to look crookedly at women who say they don’t want to have children. Like they are missing their whole purpose of being on this planet or something. Like we're some kind of monsters who hate babies. I am not a monster, and I like children, but I love my career more.” 

“You are everything but a monster.” Sullivan reassures her, and she can see on his face that there are a million other things he wants to say. But they are not there, they are not in the place where they comfort and support each other. “And I definitely believe you have it in you to reach the top, you just have to learn to follow orders before you get there.” 

“Very funny.” She glares at him before asking. “What about you? Do you want to be a father?”

“Oh, this train had already left the station a long time ago, and I was left behind on the platform to watch it go.” That’s all he says, and it is somewhat unfair. She has opened up her heart to him, and he is just using the oldest cliche in the book about a missed opportunity. 

Sullivan hands back Anne to Andy as he mumbles an excuse about having a lot of work to catch up on, then disappears behind the captain’s office door. 

Andy and Anne both look at each other for a long time. The baby has deep brown eyes, and she seems at ease, even though the person she has obviously liked better out of the two is gone by now. 

“This man has an effect on you, yes, yes he has.” Andy talks in a baby-like voice, the one new parents usually use to talk to their infant. “He made you calm down. He made you satisfied by just being in between his arms.” She observes , and the baby just keeps staring at her. “Well, he has that impact on women. And it is OK to like him now, but you can’t keep doing it when you grow older, no you can’t. Because men like him will make your body feel so good, but at the same time they will mess with your mind so bad.” Is she really talking about her sex life with a baby?

Since she has nothing better to do, Andy spends a few long minutes with Anne nestled between her arms, staring at the closed door of Sullivan’s office, before she adds. “I guess that you and I, we are both on the same boat here, little baby girl.”


	7. Part 6- The Bubble (B)

“Captain, you wanted to see me?” Andy asks as she walks in his office, keeping her tone as cold and distant as possible. 

This place, his office. 

She can’t help but see in her mind’s eyes all the times they have spent here. She can see herself sitting at the edge of his leather chair, her legs spread wide open, her pants lowered all the way down her ankles, and him kneeling in front of her, making her come undone only using his mouth. She can see him standing behind her, pushing her against the desk, rocking in and out of her slowly at first, then speeding up the pace as she is getting closer. She had blue-green bruises on her thighs for a week after that. She can still feel the knob making a dent in her back as she leaned against the door while he kissed her. 

Andy shakes her head, trying to avoid thinking about all the times they have fucked each other to oblivion in the past couple of months right here in this room. 

Oh, how she longs to take his clothes off slowly, leave a trail of wet kisses all across his exposed skin, and tell him everything can go back to the way it was, simple and not complicated. This can’t happen though. Their bubble has burst, and there is no patching it up. 

“We need to talk about what happened at the end of last shift. You can close the door behind you, but keep it unlocked and the blinds open.” He orders, making sure she knows why they are both there, making sure neither of them has the chance to lose control. And of course she knows. She was stupid enough to knock hips with her boss, but she is not that oblivious that she doesn’t know things have to change after the big explosion they had last shift. 

She told him as much the last time they were together. She doesn’t get happy endings, doesn’t believe in kissing and making up. Things have never worked for her this way, and probably never will. 

She has been deliberating wearing those shorts he has some kind of weird love-hate relationship with, yet she has stuck to her respectful uniform, still full of sweat and dirt from the long day she had had. Between one hectic call to another, she didn’t really have the time to clean up. 

She knows it is the end, they are both done playing games, done pretending the sneaking around in order to have a mind blowing orgasm is something that could last forever. It was always supposed to be all about sex, all about the satisfaction of the desire inside them, a want neither of them could explain. 

So why does it feel like someone has reached into her chest and squeezes her heart forcefully between their hands? 

“I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t avoiding this. I was out on calls all day, doing the job I love so much, helping other people, making a difference. I know you have an idea on how you want to handle that incident…” Andy trails off as he puts his hand out in front of her, signing her to stop rambling. 

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” He starts, the look on his face still cold and distant, like he is not about to do something that will change the nature of their relationship forever. “Last shift was my wife’s birthday, and it also marked fifteen years since the day she died.” 

Andy is taken aback by his personal confession, yet manages to keep her face somewhat natural. She didn’t have any idea. He never truly let her in, she understands. Even as they were lying naked, creasing each other, staring at the ceiling. She was the one to open up, to do all the talking, more often than not. “I am sorry for your loss.” She tries to sympathize. 

“I am not going to punish you for what happened last shift. I know this is what you are worried about, and I am fully aware that I am the one to blame on the way things have gotten down that afternoon. I have let my feelings cloud my judgment. I have let this thing, whatever it is that we have between us, that wasn’t even supposed to happen in the first place, take place way longer than it should have. I didn’t cut it off, being your superior, putting both of our careers on the line.” Sullivan takes the blame, even though Andy knows that ugly fight was partly her fault too. 

“So you are off the hook for this one, but starting now, I expect you to respect me.” He continues his speech. “You won’t defy my words, won’t pick fights. You can have your opinions on things, opinions I very much value, but when we are on call, I am the one who makes the decisions, because I outrank you. This, us, it has to end, this can’t happen again.” He stops and closes his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. “Because it takes a toll on the both of us, one that neither of us should pay. I hope you will understand that if it was only my reputation at risk, I would let it burn to ashes if it meant I would get to feel this thing we have just one more time. But I am doing this so you will be able to fulfill your dream, because I know you can, and I know you will get there one day. And I have no intention to stand in your way.” 

“This is the version of the story you tell yourself so you will be able to sleep better at night? That this was a mistake? That you are putting a stop to the only thing that makes me feel alive, because you want me to be able to pursue my dreams? That’s a load of nonsense. I am so tired of men who think they know what's best for me. Let me ask you one thing. How can something that feels so right, can be as wrong as you describe it to be?” 

“One day, I will be more than proud to call you Fire Chief Andrea Herrera.” He avoids answering her question. 

It seems as if she was the one more affected by him all along, as she assumed from the beginning. 

“Anything else, captain?” 

“Your father has been here today.” He notes, as if she hasn’t seen him at the station earlier this morning. 

“Well, have you told him that you have been screwing his daughter every chance you got for the last couple of months? I am sure he will be delighted.” She bites. 

“Now you are making it sound like I was the one forcing myself on you. Let's just agree that it was a sexual relationship that we both wanted and consented to equally. Let’s agree to put the attraction we had in the past where it belongs. This cannot happen anymore, ever again.” 

“Oh, I have already put all of this behind me.” Andy spits out as she turns around and yanks the door open, not waiting for her captain to dismiss her.

She climbs up the stairs, two by two, and sits down as she reaches the top. She leans her head back and closes her eyes for a moment. 

Breath In, then out. In, and out again. 

When she finally calms down, she fishes her phone out of her pocket and scrolls through the names on the contact list, until the name she has been looking for pops up on the screen. 

She presses dial and waits for the familiar voice on the other side to be heard. “Come on, Come on, pick up.” Andy coaxes, as if it will actually make some kind of a difference. 

“Hey, you have reached Doctor Meredith Grey. I can’t take your call right now, but leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible.” Shit. She must be in surgery.

Andy hears her phone beeps, signaling her to start speaking, but it takes her a long moment before she actually finds her words. “Hey Mer, it is me, please call me back when you hear this.” Andy places the hand that isn’t holding the phone to her ear on her forehead. “I just need a friend right now.” 

******  
Two days earlier 

“Spend the night.” Robert asks quietly. He rolls over, turning from lying on his abdomen to lying on his back, naked as the day he was born, his limbs sprawled all across the queen sized bed, a content look on his face. She sits on the bed right beside him, a thin white sheet covering her body all the way to her waist. 

“You know this is not the kind of thing we have.” Andy says, fighting the reflex to reach out and touch him. She really can’t keep her hands to herself around him. They have been doing this for months now, sneaking around, getting tangled in each other in the wee hours of the night. Yet it is never enough for her. Everytime he takes his clothes off, the urge to touch, to explore, is uncontrollable. As if there will always be a new path for her to discover in the road map that is his body. 

“What do other people have that we don’t, that makes them spend the night with each other?” 

“It is called a relationship. And what we have, it is just hate sex.” She can’t help it, her hands find their own way to him. She starts trailing one finger around his abs, outlining the defined shape of every pack with her fingers. 

“You spent the night the first time we met.” He notes, and sighs as her fingers start moving lower, still circling his defined muscles. 

“We didn’t do much sleeping that night. Or any at all, if I recall correctly.” Andy smiles at him, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. 

“Why did you come here? To my place? You haven’t been here since that night. We are always sneaking around the station, so you will have an excuse to flee as soon as you like to.” He asks out of curiosity. They have been doing this a lot, those bed conversations, and even though she is always the one to eventually leave, never stays more than a few minutes, she knows well enough it is about more than sex by now. 

It is still the only time they can talk to each other without arguing, without yelling so much that the entire team stares, without him making her feel like she wants to pull all of her hair out of her scalp. 

“I was horny, and a little bit drunk, and very much alone.” She answers truthfully, her hand trails a bit further down, and she can see him starting to go hard beneath her hand. 

“So this is all it is? A way for you to temporarily ease the loneliness we are both feeling?” He inquires, and there is no blame in his voice, just the desire to know. 

Andy pulls the sheet up all the way to cover her breasts with her free hand, his question suddenly making her feel vulnerable. “Please don’t do it.” She pleads. “I don’t know what you want to hear, and even if I did I am not sure I can say it.” 

They are quiet for a long while after that. He doesn’t push, and she is afraid to say anything that will tear the fragile thing they have apart. She finally settles on “I do know that this thing we have, it makes me happy, it makes me feel bliss and satisfaction. It also makes me so terrified.” 

“You have taken pride in being brave before, but you have mentioned you are scared a few times by now.” He observes, yet he doesn’t ask her to give him a reason. Andy’s hands trail further down, now caressing his inner thigh, deliberately avoiding the area she knows he needs her the most. She knows that when she finally touches him there, all talking will be stopped. 

“We are now living in a very beautiful, pink, exciting, sexy little bubble, where we sneak around and enjoy each other. A place where we don’t have to answer to anyone but our own desires. But this is a bubble nonetheless, and it’s bound to pop right in our faces, as all bubbles do. I guess I am scared because I am having so much fun, I don’t want it to end. I am scared because when it ends, we will both have to handle a fair share of debris.” 

“Why are you so sure this is bound to end? Why can’t we enjoy this forever?” 

“Because from my life experience, good things tend to get taken away from me quickly.” She admits.

This conversation went from sexy to dark in no time at all. 

“Come here.” Robert asks, reaching out a hand for her to take. Andy hovers on top of him, and places a feather light kiss on his lips. He takes her head between his hands, and soon their kiss deepens. It is wet and hot, and they both know where it is leading. 

He doesn’t make any promises they both know he can’t keep. He doesn’t try to reassure her, doesn’t try to comfort her, doesn’t try to tell her that everything will be alright, that he will keep her safe and sound. Instead, they communicate with their bodies, the way they do so often. They find their familiar pace in no time at all and move to the rhythm of it. 

Something inside her feels final when she comes for the second time that night, but she pushes it back, making herself believe it is just their conversation that made her think the worst case scenario is already here. 

Her eyelids feel heavy when she finally rolls off of him, so when he asks her again to sleep in his arms that night, she finally lets loose, and falls easily into a dreamless sleep . 

She lets herself be taken care of by this man, just this once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> As always, I will love to hear your thoughts! I read each and every review, and if you have any questions, suggestions or just want to talk, feel free to private message me :)


	8. Part 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> As always, I want to thank everyone for reading and commenting!  
> I figured that it might be confusing, so I want to make sure that everyone know that I posted part 6 in two different parts on the same day. So make sure you have read both parts before continuing.  
> In this story, two months pass between Andy and Sullivan's fight and the storm.  
> I hope you enjoy and as always, I will love it if you leave your thoughts.

“I really don’t want to be here.” Andy protests as she is pulling the bar stool between Maya and Vic and sitting down. 

Work. Home. Rinse. Repeat. That's pretty much all that she had in herself to do for the last two months, and even being at those two places made her feel like she is struggling to keep her head above water sometimes.

“Andy… I know you are upset about that fight you had with Sullivan, but it has been two months since, you have to move on.” Maya says, checking her surroundings. 

They all agreed that Joe’s was a bad idea for their girls night out. Well, Maya and Vic thought they needed a change of scenery, while Andy just wanted to stay at the apartment and binge watch whatever Netflix had to offer. They settled on a bar that Vic suggested, and finally managed to convince Andy to come, in an exchange for a promise that if the night doesn’t go well, they will leave her be for the rest of her life. 

“Guys, according to the forecast, there is a storm that is supposed to hit tomorrow. And Warren didn’t leave me alone until I agreed to come to his stupid Friendsgiving dinner. I think we should really call it a night.” Andy tries her luck one more time, but is faced with a determined refusal from her friends. 

“No way. We came to find you a rebound, and you are not leaving until you at least give your number to one guy.” Vic finally reveals the true nature of their night out. 

“Oh no. No, no, a thousand times no. We all know what happened the last time I went home with a stranger I met at a bar. That’s what got me into this trouble in the first place.” Andy sighs. “And I really think Sullivan broke the part in me that makes my libido function normally. It’s like if I don’t get to have the amazing, mind blowing, incredible sex with him, I rather have no sex at all.”

“Sister, if you use that pizza metaphor one more time…” Vic trails off in warning. “Sometimes, a girl gotta do what a girl gotta do. Sometimes, when our favorite pizza place is closed for renovations, we eat mediocre pizza, until we find another really good pizza place. You stay, end of discussion.”

As Vic orders the entire group drinks (Vodka for herself and Maya, tequila for Andy. Hanging out with Meredith Grey as much as she does, makes you pick up on some habits.), Andy twists her right ankle carefully. It doesn’t hurt anymore, but there is still some stiffness to it, and it bothers her from time to time. 

As she waits for the bartender to pour her drink, her mind trails off to the day that ended in her personally getting acquainted with Dr. Atticus Lincoln. 

**************  
Two months earlier 

Andy’s breakfast is already cold. 

She pushes her food around with her fork, barely touching the bacon and eggs on her plate, while everyone else chatter excitedly. She doesn’t have an appetite, yet she sits around the big table and pretends to take a bite here and there.

Everyone at the station has been checking on her constantly since last week, asking her how she is doing or if she needs anything. However, she suspects that the real reason they have been hovering around her is that they want to know how she got away with everything without even a reprimand, considering the spectacle she put on in front of everyone, including the fire chief. 

The last thing she needs is adding inquiries about her eating habits to their ongoing list of questions. 

“Hey, captain.” Ben greets Sullivan as he enters the beanery, followed by a wave of acknowledging nods and murmured hellos. 

To Andy’s surprise, he picks up a plate, fills it with food, and sits down in the only open spot left by the table. Which happens to be right next to her. 

Perfect, just perfect. 

For a moment, it feels like nothing has changed at all. She inhales deeply, can’t help herself, and her nose is filled with the earthy, masculine scent of his body wash. She can feel the electricity in the air between them. A static humming she can swear she is almost able to hear. 

“Since when do you eat your meals with us, captain?” Andy hisses. 

“Since last week, when your father came to see me. He advised me to start eating with the rest of the team, to help me better connect with you, and I decided to take his suggestion. You wouldn’t know that, because you didn’t let me finish whatever I had to say last time we spoke, and you have missed every single shared meal since.” 

“I have been on a lot of back to back calls.” It feels like a poor excuse coming out of her mouth, but it is the truth nonetheless. She took every call she could possibly get, avoided staying at the station for longer than what was absolutely necessary. She tried to keep her distance from Sullivan as much as she could, and when she had no other choice but to talk to him, a dry “Yes, sir.” or “No, sir.” was all that she said. 

“Excuse me.” She apologizes to everyone at the table as she picks her almost full plate and heads to the sink. A part of her wants to make a scene, wants to throw the plate on the floor and let the mess go everywhere. But the better side of her wins this time. She can’t let everyone have just another reason to talk about her behind her back. 

“Is there a problem, Herrera?” Sullivan asks before he brings another fork full of food to his mouth. 

“No, sir. I just want to go ahead and start my tasks for the day.” Andy answers dryly as she throws the leftover food into the trash. She washes her dishes quickly, and heads out of the beanery before he has time to ask her anything further. 

She makes it down only a few stairs before she hears his low voice. “Andy, stop.” 

“Remember the night I gave you permission to call me Andy? I take it back.” 

“Herrera, I won’t ask you to stop again. That’s an order from your captain.” His voice is stern now, and she has no choice but to stop dead in her tracks, halfway down the stairs. “Don’t you think it has gone unnoticed that you haven’t been eating properly the last week.” 

“Sir, with all due respect, you are not my lover anymore, or whatever it is that you were. There is no need for you to worry about whether I am eating or not.” 

“I am still your captain, Herrera, even if there is nothing personal between us anymore. It is my job to make sure my firefighters are as healthy as they can be.” 

“I am fine. Can I go now?” Andy asks, as she turns to continue her way down the stairs, her temper wearing thin. She doesn’t wait for an answer, but as she is about to leave, a strong hand is holding her wrist lightly. 

For a moment, they are not at the station anymore. They are both seated at Joe’s, she is in her flowy green shirt and her tan colored heels instead of her uniform. He is grinning at her instead of the serious frown he has on all the time. 

The memory of the night they met moves something deep in her core, and she is shaken by how deep she can still feel everything from that night, no matter how much water has flown under their bridge ever since. So when she pulls her wrist from his grip a bit too fast, there is a shift in her balance. 

Neither of them knows exactly how it happens, but in a blink of an eye Andy finds herself rolling down the stairs. 

“Andy!” He calls her name in concern, running the rest of the way down to aid her.

“Damn it!” She cries as she can feel her right ankle pulsing in pain. “Well here comes at least two weeks of desk duty. Great.” 

Sullivan puts a reassuring hand on her back and bends down to examine her injury. “No,” Andy protests. 

She can’t notice it, but something in his face breaks as she flinches away from his touch. Up until now, every time he touched her, she was only leaning in closer. “You have done enough.” She hisses. “Go get Ben, someone, anyone else.” 

He doesn’t argue, just moves the hand softly touching her shoulder away and heads back into the packed beanery in order to find someone else to assess her injury.

Here goes her plan to not let them have any other reason to be talking about her behind her back.

*****

“Planet earth to Herrera.” Vic calls her as she is waving a hand in front of her face. “What are you thinking about?”

“How much I don’t want to be here.” Andy lies, looking down at the tequila shot she didn’t notice the bartender placed in front of her. 

“The guy staring at you from across the bar looks like he wants you to stay.” Maya notes. 

As Andy’s eyes lift up, there is in fact a man looking at her. She can’t get a good notion about his appearance, but from where she sits it doesn’t seem like he is hard on the eyes at all, and his smile looks genuine enough. 

She can give him her number, and then they will be out of here. 

“To the guy across the bar.” Vic toasts as she raises her vodka shot in the air. 

Andy’s stomach turns as she hears Vic’s new nickname to the guy still smiling at her. There is only one guy from the bar, and it is not this guy neither this bar. 

The three female firefighters downs their shots at the same time. Andy’s face twitches as the burning sensation of the alcohol slides down her throat. She reaches for the piece of lime in front of her and sucks, the sour taste in her mouth neutralizes the aftertaste of the tequila. 

Before she knows it, there is another shot given to her by the bartender. 

“I haven’t ordered it.” She corrects.

“This is from the gentleman over there.” He points at the man still smiling at her. When their eyes meet, he gives her a small nod of acknowledgment. 

“Now you have to go and talk to him. Otherwise you will just be rude.” Maya says, trying to coax her friend to leave them and go get acquainted with the guy who can’t stop looking at her direction. 

Andy feels a strong sense of deja vu. 

“Come on…” Vic tries to step in. “You haven’t had fun for such a long time.” 

“Oh, I had fun last month, when we all went shooting on our day off.” 

“Not that kind of fun.” Vic can’t help but roll her eyes. “I was talking about the naked, sweaty kind of fun.The kind of fun that makes you feel so good and takes everything else off of your mind. That kind of fun.” 

“Well, it seems like you haven’t had this kind of fun for a long time as well.” Andy looks pointedly at Vic. If she has to rip off the bandaid, so does her friend. 

“Oh, no, I am all good at this area, thanks.” Vic mumbles quickly. 

“Really? Who is he?” Maya inquires. “Still Mr. station 23?” 

“I thought we were here to talk about Herrera.” Vic tries to stir the conversation away from herself. 

“We are.” Maya agrees. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about you at the very same time. So, share, who is your new hot naked friend?” 

“Oh, you know what, I now remember that we did have fun that afternoon at the range.” Vic flinches. Whoever he is, Andy notices that she is working very hard in order to avoid exposing his identity. 

“Well, at least Andy had fun. She let out some steam, she got some of the aggression and the unexplainable sexual tension she has with Sullivan out, without actually hurting anyone.” Maya reasons. 

“Yeah… I am not sure how much it actually helped.” Andy confesses. 

****************

One month ago

“Remind me again why your doctor friends didn’t want to come with you?” Vic huffs as she is standing steadily in front of her target, gun loaded in her hand and pointed straight forward.

“Oh, shooting is not their thing. Meredith’s husband, who is also Amelia’s brother, was shot during a mass murder that occurred in the hospital around ten years ago.” Andy explains, her arms raised toward the target, supporting her gun steadily. “Can we shoot now?” She asks the instructor standing behind her. 

He gives them the all clear, and they all shoot the ten bullets they have straight into their targets.

Andy can feel the blast as she pulls the trigger, trying to aim at the target as best as she possibly can. She thinks she is doing an alright job, but she won’t know until their instructor will bring their cardboard targets forward. 

“I thought you were against weapons.” Vic states after they all run out of ammunition. 

“I am. I am against selling them and purchasing them as easily as the law allows you to. I think they should be way more in control. It breaks my heart hearing about another shooting at a school, or a movie theater, or a grocery store. I hope I will never treat another GSW in my career. But this is different. We are in a controlled, safe environment, with professional instructors. And believe me when I say, I have tried everything to get this anger I feel out of my system. After my ankle healed, I tried boxing, running, and emotional eating. I even tried cycling with Montgomery. It is like nothing can put out the anger I feel inside. This was the last idea I had, but it doesn’t seem to help either.” 

“You didn’t try rebounding.” Maya notes as their instructor makes sure each of them passes him her gun in a safe manner. 

“I don’t need a rebound.” Andy protests as she takes the protective plastic goggles off her eyes. “It wasn’t a relationship. We weren’t in love with each other. It was all about sex, that’s it. A rebound is for people who were together for five years and one day decide it is all over. Sullivan and I definitely weren’t there.” 

“What about Dr. Lincoln? He treated your ankle, didn’t he?” Vic suggests. 

“He is very cute.” Maya approves, nodding her head. “And how did you get the head of orthopedic surgery to treat a sprained ankle anyway?” 

Andy pulls at her shoulders up “It helps having friends at the right places. But I think Dr. Link has some kind of thing with Meredith. Or maybe Amelia. I don’t know, I don’t even follow anymore. It seems like every time we meet one of them has some kind of new hot, doctor male friend in her life.” Andy says as their instructor brings their targets closer to them.

“It settled, then.” Vic determines. “You will ask them to introduce you to one of their hot, doctor male friends. God knows there is no shortage at that department at Grey Sloan Memorial.”

Andy rolls her eyes as the three of them look at their hits. 

“Herrera, keep your day job.” Maya laughs as she sees Andy didn’t hit even once. “You will be a terrible cop.” 

*********

Andy stands up before she has a chance to regret what she is about to do. 

“Go Andy!” Maya cheers as her best friend makes her way toward the stranger sitting at the other side of the bar. Andy flashes the best smile she can manage, and ignores the feeling at the pit of her stomach telling her that something doesn’t quite fit.

In the last two months, she learned to push her feelings down. The longing, the emptiness, the sensation that something is missing. One might say that she has become a professional at ignoring her feelings by now. 

She leans slightly against the bar before greeting him with a small “Hey.” 

“Hey.” He returns, and smiles back at her. 

As she noticed before, he is not hard on the eyes at all. He has a set of blue eyes, and a head full of dark hair. Two broad shoulders and one dimple in his left cheeks that comes with the wide grin he is sending her way. He looks like someone that can star in a music video for a country song. 

“Andy.” She introduces herself. 

“I am Brad.”

“Brad,” She rolls her name on her tongue. She still has some game left, after all. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Gladly.” He says as he gets up from his seat and heads toward the door.


	9. Part 8- Memorized

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> A few things before you dive into this chapter.  
> As always, thank you so much for reading and leaving comments. Means the world to me.  
> Second, I have no medical knowledge, so I made everything up. Roll with me please.  
> This chapter takes place during season 2, episode 8. I had to adjust some things, so not everything will be exactly as it was on the show.  
> This episode was inspired by the song "Memorized" from the TV show This Is Us. If you have never heard the song, I highly recommend it, it is just beautiful and fits the story and this ship (I also recommend the show if you have never watched it)  
> Unfortunately, I have started taking some classes at Uni. I will try to keep uploading twice a week like I have done up until now, but I can't make any promises, and I apologize in advance if the chapters are going to be posted with longer breaks between them. I also have another multi chapter fic idea for Surrera that I really wanna write, but I want you to let me know if you want me to focus on this story and finish it first or do you want me to try and write another one as well.  
> One last thing, you are in for an M rated treat at the end of this chapter, so read it all the way to the end ;)  
> I think this is it, and I hope you enjoy.

"Can one wrong turn give me new direction?  
Can one false move bring you one true friend?  
Could a stranger ever end up being you?"

-Memorized by Blake Stadnik 

*********

“What the hell are you doing?” Andy asks as she climbs back into the aid car. “You are not supposed to move! Did you twist your spine?” 

The monitor beeps as she starts pressing Shannon’s chest. The noise is loud as the monitor shows nothing but a flat line, and it crawls deep under her skin. She promised her patient no one dies today. She promised her they are all going to make it out alive. 

Andy Herrera is many things, but a woman who doesn’t fulfill her promises is not one of them. 

“She was coding again, I had to.” Sullivan tries to explain as he feels a surge of pain again, sharper than before. 

“Has your numbness cracked any higher?” Andy questions as she continues with the pressing.

She has to stay alive. All three of them do.

“Yes.” He admits, closing his eyes shut as the pain reaches an unbearable level, even though his blood stream is flooded with painkillers. It is worse than she believes, worse than both of them think. By now, he is pretty positive there is something else other than the spinal injury that they both missed. But he won’t say it to her until he absolutely has to. She is exhausted, and as soon as the adrenaline wears off, she will feel everything in full power as well. 

“Damn it, why can’t you listen to what I have to say just once! You may have extended the damage.” 

There is no sound in the aid car other than the beeping of the monitor, the rhythmic movement of Andy’s body as she presses Shannon’s chest, and the heavy breathing of the two firefighters. Neither of them knows how long she is trying to get her patient back before Sullivan calls her name. 

“No!” She refuses to listen, knowing full well what he is about to say. There is always a chance, there is always a hope, she just has to continue doing CPR until someone will come for them. 

“Andy, stop. She is gone. There is nothing more you can do for her.” 

That awful beeping. She is certain that if she makes it out of here alive, she will hear the sound in her nightmares. 

She falls on the seat next to him and breaths heavily. The constant beeping is still there, but she doesn’t have the power in her to reach out and press the button that will make it stop. 

“Andy, Andy!” He calls her name again. “You are hyperventilating. You can’t breath like that, or you will have a panic attack. You need to reserve your powers. There is no telling when someone will get you out of here.” 

Breath in, then out. In, and out again. She repeats the mantra in her head until her breathing levels out, and she doesn’t feel like her head is about to explode with the excess oxygen anymore. 

She finally turns the monitor off, and says dumbstruck “There is a dead body in our aid car, and we have nowhere to take it to.”

“Don’t think about it.” He whispers softly. She hasn’t heard him using that voice ever since the last time she was lying naked in his bed, drifting off to sleep. Andy closes her eyes, and for one blissful moment the chaos is gone, and she is back in between his sheets, completely covered in his warm embrace. He thought she was already dreaming when he talked softly into her ear, but she could still hear him when he said out loud the thing the both of them had been feeling for a while. 

You make me feel alive. 

The moment is over, and she is back in the aid car, back in the here and now, back at the harsh reality. “Tell me something, Andy. Anything. Look straight at me.” 

She takes his hand in hers, and before she has a chance to think she spits out. “I went home with someone last night.” When she realizes exactly what she said, she blushes, the embarrassment flushing over her entire body. “OMG, I am so sorry. You wanted me to speak about something and I said the worst thing I could possibly have. It is probably the concussion.” At least she has a reasonable excuse to justify her word vomit and save her from humiliation. 

“Don’t be.” He reassures her, and he seems oddly at peace with her confession. “It has been a while since you and I were together. You are a grown woman. You can do whatever you want with whomever you want. I don’t have a say in who you spend your nights with.” 

“If it means anything, he was not the one I wanted to spend my night with.” 

He stays silent as he hears her confession. 

Maybe she shouldn’t have said any of that. They have kept their professional distance for the last two months, and who knows, maybe he wants to keep their relationship one of a captain and his lieutenant, even as the world is collapsing around them. 

“You tell me something now.” Andy encourages him to be the one to open up. She knows that if she speaks again, there is no telling what awkward confession might come out of her mouth next. 

“What do you want to hear?” 

She hesitates before requesting. “If you want to, you can tell me about your wife.” Andy sees a surge of pain in his face, yet she is not completely sure if it is the physical pain his spine is inflicting, or the thought of the woman he loved who died not too far from where they are now. 

“I can’t remember how old I was when I met Claire.” He admits. “I can remember the day we met vividly, and I can remember being so young, fresh outta high school. She loved roller skating, so this is where I took her for our first date. She was amazing, so gracious on her skates. She looked like she was flying when she skated, hovering above everyone else. On the other hand, I was a disaster. I mean, look at me, there is no way I would have been good at roller skating.” 

“You dance salsa though. And you are not half bad.” She notes. 

“I do, but it is different. When I dance, I still have my two feet on the ground.” He points out. There is an image of him on skates coming to her mind, wobbly and unsteady on his feet. If they were not in the middle of this nightmare, she might have laughed by the idea of him falling over and landing on his butt. “By our second date I knew she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t shocked when she said yes to my proposal. To this very day I still think she was way out of my league.”

Andy feels a sharp pain in her core when he speaks about the woman he intended to spend the rest of his life with, with so much love in his voice, even though it has been over fifteen years since the day he had to bury her under. The ache she feels doesn’t make any sense, and she doesn’t know if it is sympathy or a tad bit of jealousy, but it is present nonetheless. 

“She was 24 weeks pregnant with our baby girl when Ripley and I found her lying on the road, exactly where we found Shannon today. I am sure you know 24 weeks is the bare minimum for a baby to be able to survive outside of the uterus. The doctors declared Claire dead as soon as we got to the hospital, but they still fought for the baby for a long time. I guess somewhere deep down I knew it was a battle doomed to failure all along.”

Andy can’t fight the urge to touch him, to offer whatever comfort and solace she can provide. Her fingers start to trail lightly along the skin of his arm, making sure she doesn’t worsen his condition by moving him even slightly. “So this is what you meant when you said this train has already left the station for you.” She recalls their conversation about parenthood, and she can’t believe she ever felt hurt by his lack of will to share. 

“After they were gone, I buried myself with work, it was the only thing keeping me sane for fifteen years. For fifteen years I felt numb. I walked through this world as if I were a zombie, as if I had died with them. And on some level, for almost fifteen years I wished I did. Until one night at the middle of the week, I stumbled upon a certain salsa dancer who ignited a fire in me I thought was extinguished forever. A certain female firefighter who made me feel alive.” 

Andy holds back her tears with every fiber of self control she has. It is not her story to cry about, she reminds herself. 

“It is your turn to tell me something. And I think we need a story that will lighten the mood up.” 

She notices her fingers are still moving across his arms, but she doesn’t have it in her to stop. It provides comfort to the both of them. He doesn’t say anything about the rekindled intimacy between the two of them, and neither does she.

“Remember the night Jack walked in on us in the shower?” She asks, and they both smile immediately. 

“Oh, how can I forget. For a moment there I thought it was the end of my career, and it was the last day I could look Gibson in the eye for a very long time.” 

“So, right after he left I was too busy doing something else to care if he had noticed anything.” Andy raises a suggestive brow at Sullivan’s direction. “But the next day, I just couldn’t leave it alone. So I went digging into it a bit, but Jack acted all weird. He seemed to be totally oblivious, didn’t even remember he walked into the shared showers in the middle of the night. So either he actually didn’t notice a thing, or we just traumatized the poor guy for the rest of his life.” 

As she tells her story, Andy thinks to herself that it has been too long since she came down back to the aid car. The flare has most certainly died down by now. And with every moment passing, the chances his back injury is permanent grows larger. 

“Tell me about the day we met.” She pleads. They both need to stay awake, and she needs something to help her fight the dark feeling inside her that no one is coming to rescue them. 

“You were there.”

“I know I was there.” She rolls her eyes. “I just want to know what it was like for you.” 

“Did I tell you that I got lost that night? I wanted to get a look at the station before my first day. I stood outside for a long time, just staring at the building. Then I got lost on my way back. I tried to go home, then somehow I found the hospital parking lot, and then I saw the bar, thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a drink or two. I immediately noticed you as I walked in, and something inside told me to stay until I get you to notice me. So I just grabbed a stool by the bar and waited forever to finally have your attention. ” 

“Yeah, I know, Amelia pointed out that you were looking at me for half an hour before I even acknowledged your existence.” She smiles at him.

“Guilty as charged.”

“Why me?” She asks with true interest. “That night, it seemed like you could have gone home with every single woman at that bar. And my friends all agreed.” 

Robert can’t believe that after all this time, she still can’t see herself the same way he sees her. She can’t imagine a case where she is worth the amount of attention he will happily shower upon her, where she is the most attractive, interesting woman in the room, in every room. 

“Something about you just caught my eye. Your friends were all chattering. And you were just sitting with them, but it seemed like at the same time you were in your own world. When you were in my bed that night, I had this weird feeling that I had to memorize every single detail that made you who you are. I had no idea that the stranger I met at a bar could ever end up being you.”

Andy notices his breathing becomes elaborated and that the color is starting to disappear from his face. There is something he is not telling her. “Robert, what’s wrong?” She asks, concern creeping into her voice, even though she tries as hard as she possibly can to stay calm. 

“My stomach.” He points out, and Andy is immediately on her feet again, touching his abdomen. It is rigid to the touch. He might suffer from an internal bleeding. 

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” 

“You are not a surgeon, there is nothing more you can do to help me.” He squeezes the hand she is still holding. “Andy, if I don’t make it out of here... I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for making me feel something I haven’t felt for fifteen years. Thank you for making me feel alive, even for a short while. Thank you for letting me know that life eventually does go on.” 

“No, No, No, No. You are not dying, so there is no need to say goodbye.” She moves frantically, disconnects the monitor from their dead patient and tries to connect the electrodes to her captain.

“Tell Luke that we are all good.” He requests, before his eyes roll in their orbits and close. 

Andy knows she has to do something, but it feels like she is out of her body. She reaches out her hand, and checks for his pulse and breathing. He barely breathes and his pulse is weak, but it's there nonetheless. “Please don’t go, please don’t leave me.” She murmurs quietly. 

She fumbles with the heart monitor unsuccessfully as she hears Maya’s voice coming from above her. “Aid car 19, hold your position. We are on our way to you.” 

The world blackens for a long while, before a familiar hand reaches in and grabs her.

Vic and Maya pull her out of the aid car. Andy tries to stand, but her legs betray her and she falls to her knees on the hard ground. “Maya” Andy whispers. “You have to save him.” 

“Save him, save him, please.” She keeps begging, not knowing exactly to whom. It might be a prayer for God by this point, for all she knows. 

She hears one of her friends declaring she is probably in a state of shock. 

Andy finally lets loose, and there are warm tears streaming down her face. The two female firefighters are still holding on to her, each of them gripping one of Andy’s arms, but no matter how hard she tries, she can’t bring herself to rise up on her feet. 

“Miller and Warren are doing their best right now.” The blonde promises.

“Take him to Grey Sloan. Tell them to get Pierce, Grey and Shepherd ready.” Andy orders, even though she is not quite sure if his injury has anything to do with her friends’ field of surgery. “They are the best, and they know him. He needs the best to have a shot to make it through this.” 

“I am going to contact dispatch right now.” Maya promises before she walks away and starts yelling details into her radio.

Vic pulls Andy back up to standing and squeezes her into a comforting hug as hard as she possibly can. She strokes Andy’s disheveled hair with one hand as she whispers into her ear “Shh.. I know, I understand. Believe me, I understand.” 

********************

3 months earlier 

“There will be no way to explain this.” Robert speaks his concerns as Andy holds his hand and pulls him toward the shared showers. 

“Oh, and there is a reasonable way to explain the fact that I am walking out of your office, all wet, at 3 in the morning?” She raises her brow at him. 

“You like this whole sneaking around thing, don’t you?” Robert asks as he takes his shirt off and throws it on the floor in front of the shower. “It makes you all giddy and excited inside, doesn’t it?” 

“Oh no, getting me all giddy and excited, that’s all you.” She flirts as she takes the bottle of body wash he is holding and placing it inside the shower, alongside her shampoo and conditioner. She doesn’t mind smelling like him, is even quite fond of the earthy, masculine scent he always has, but there is no way she is giving up on her beloved hair products. 

The captain’s bunk has its own private shower, but Andy does like the element of danger that comes with the incredible things he does to her body. 

She reaches to his pants, unzips it in one quick, well practiced move, and lowers it to his calves. She reaches inside his boxers, and gives him one long stroke. His breath hitches, and she bites her lips and looks at him as if she was a naughty high school student getting caught doing something strictly forbidden, straight out of the music video of Hit Me Baby One More Time. She wonders if he has this fantasy. Her as the student, him as the teacher. She makes a mental note to come back to this idea another time. 

The look she gets back is half aroused, half pissed. “If somebody walks in right now… Get your clothes off and get in there, now.” 

Andy does as he bids, and in no time they are both standing naked in the very crowded space, the door closed and protecting them from anyone that might walk in from the outside. No matter how they are standing, their bodies are pressed tightly against each other, and she can feel his erection pressed against her hip as they kiss. 

She is going to enjoy this tremendously. 

He reaches a hand while their lips are still connected, and opens the tap, letting the water start running over them. She twists it to the left, lets the water run warmer.

“You like your showers as hot as hell?” He asks as he grabs the bottle of body wash and leathers the liquid between his hands. 

“Not necessarily. But I definitely like my man this way.” 

“Mmm… talking dirty. Turn around.” He orders, and starts spreading the soap around her neck and shoulders. 

The first couple of times she was in his bed, she didn’t have the courage to go all the way, to be herself, too worried about how he would react. It took him no time at all to figure out she was holding things back, and to his encouraging words, she started to slowly open up. She started to get louder, started to tell him what made her explode in a climax, and what she didn’t like as much. She even discovered she liked being the dominant out of the two of them, more often than not, and she found out he liked it too. 

Robert's silky hands move down her body. He barely touches her breasts, ignoring them almost completely, and trails his fingers across her flat abdomen instead. 

Andy pouts, and huffs out in dissatisfaction. 

“Patience…” 

“Oh, I expected you to know me by now.” Andy says, and how does she even have the power to speak so many words when he finally almost reaches the area where she needs him the most? “I have many qualities, but patience is not one of them.” 

Andy moans in satisfaction as he finally inserts two long fingers inside of her. Then she hears the door click and open. 

Andy’s instincts kick in, and before she knows it she has Robert pinned to the wall with her arm, as one of her hands covers his mouth, and the other grips his wrist forcefully, making sure he leaves those fingers out of her. 

“Jack?” Andy asks, surprised by their unexpected guest. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” Robert bites the fingers covering her mouth lightly, and it just adds to the feeling that if she just lets go, the hand that she is holding will be teasing her again, making sounds come out of her, noises Jack hasn’t heard coming from her in a very long time. 

“I couldn’t sleep, I needed to clear my head a little.” He replies honestly, and so far he seems oblivious to the fact that Andy is naked and pressed tightly against their captain in the shower. She prays to God that he won’t notice the pile clothes on the floor, too big to belong only to her, or the fact that there are two towels on the rack instead of one. “Why are you showering now?” 

“I just felt.. Dirty.” Andy answers, and she can swear that if her hand wasn’t keeping his mouth shut, Robert would have rolled in laughter. “I think you should go back to bed, Jack. Try and get some sleep, we might have a long morning in front of us.” 

“Yeah you are probably right.” Gibson decides to take her advice. “You should probably do the same.” 

“Yeah, I will be back in bed in a moment, I just need to finish washing my hair.” 

“Goodnight, Andy.” Jack greats as Andy and Robert can finally, finally, hear the door opening and closing again. 

“That was so close.” Andy says as she releases the breath she didn’t know she was holding. She lets Robert go and places her hands on his chest instead.

“Does sneaking around still make you all hot and bothered?” He asks, his thumbs creasing her nipples gently.

“Oh, now more than ever.” 

“Well, if that is the case…” He reaches down again, and Andy bites her lower lip in anticipation. “Where were we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me and don't stop reading, there is more to come!  
> As always, I hope you enjoyed and I will love to hear your thoughts!


	10. Part 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> As always, thank you for coming back every week, for reading and reviewing   
> Hope you enjoy and I will appreciate your thoughts!

Andy holds Robert’s hand tightly. 

She is leaning back as much as possible in her helicopter seat, and closes her eyes in order to keep the tears at bay and the pulsing headache somehow under control.

He has already coded twice during their short commute to Grey Sloan Memorial, and the paramedics barely managed to bring him back each time.

He has to stay alive. 

Her eyes stay closed as the helicopter lowers, before finally landing at the top of the hospital. They transfer him out first, then there is a hand reached out to help her climb down. She is unsteady on her own two feet, and it feels like the world is spinning around her. 

She probably suffers from a concussion, she remembers. 

Before she knows it, there is a set of familiar arms embracing her tightly. “Herrera.” She hears Meredith call her name, which does nothing to subside the tears falling down her cheeks. The firefighter wraps her arms around her friend, and for a long moment they just stand there, comforting each other, while the wind throws their hair in every direction. 

Amelia and Maggie are there, taking care of unconscious Robert while Meredith walks to the elevator, never letting go of Andy’s hand. 

She manages to smile tiredly toward her friends, but they can see right through the show she tries to put on, trying to pretend the world isn’t crumbling around her. 

Before any of them speak, there is just that awful beeping of the heart monitor again. It is different now, a rhythmic beeping indicating that he is still alive, unlike the one long sound that hinted that Shannon’s heart is no longer beating. By now Andy is certain the sound will haunt her in her sleep. 

“You look like a mass.” Amelia notes, trying to lighten the mood during the unbearable slow descent of the elevator. 

“Well, you should try being stuck in a car for an entire day, during a 85 miles per hour wind storm, without anyone knowing where you are or coming to rescue you. That really makes you look like a team of hairdressers have been working on you the entire day.” Andy bites. 

“You have a point.” Amelia shrugs, and even though her head is still throbbing, just being in the company of these women, who are like sisters to her, make her feel better. 

She couldn’t trust his life in the hands of more capable surgeons. 

“How are you feeling?” Maggie asks with concern in her voice. 

“I just have a headache. I am sure it is nothing. I am not the one you guys should be worried about.” Andy says as the door finally opens and they arrive at the surgical floor. 

“We can be worried about the both of you. Go down to the ER and get yourself checked. It might be serious.” Meredith orders as they arrive at another door, with a writing ‘Medical staff and patients only beyond this point’ on it. 

“Do you know who his emergency contact is? Does he have any relatives? Family that you can call?” Maggie asks. 

“I don’t know.” Andy admits. The feeling hits her like a wrecking ball. She has spent two long months in the bed of this man, and she doesn’t know the first thing about his relatives. His people. “He had a wife who died. He never mentioned any parents, any siblings, any friends.” 

Andy has so many people around her. Her father. Ryan. Maya and Vic. Meredith, Maggie and Amelia. Everyone at her station has been her family for the last few years. If something might happen to her, she knows every single one of these people, her people, will come running to be by her side. Yet for all she knows, he might not have anyone in this world. Anyone beside her.

But there has to be at least one name on the emergency contact list in his health insurance, right? 

“We will take care of this. This is as far as you can go.” Amelia says, and only then Andy notices she has been holding his hand for the entire elevator ride, and that their fingers are still entwined. 

She lets go reluctantly, and sees Maggie and Meredith roll him behind the door she is not allowed to go through. Andy falls down on her knees, the weight of the day finally catching up to her. 

“Hey.” Amelia places a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I need you to put your brave face on. I won’t be able to do my job knowing that one of my best friends is falling apart outside of my OR. You need to be strong for the both of you.”

“I am not sure I know how.” Andy admits.

“Do you need me to be your friend right now, or do you want me to help the man you love who is currently hanging on a thread between life and death? I can’t do both.”

The man she loves? Where did she get that notion? 

Andy doesn’t have it in her to correct the neurosurgeon, just answers. “Save him, please.” 

“On your feet, then.” Amelia orders, pulling Andy up by the arm. It is the second time in one day someone has to physically lift her off the ground, because she is not able to do so herself, she understands. “I want you to stand with your legs apart, your fists on your waist, and your head held up high.” 

“Like Superwoman?” Andy asks, her brow furrowed in confusion. 

“Exactly. I stand like this every time I need to gather up my strength. I have heard you saved the both of you today. You are a hero, never forget it.”

She doesn’t feel like a hero. She feels like a normal woman, who wants a certain man to comfort her, the same man she felt like she was created to fit in between his arms. But that man is unconscious and about to go into surgery. Even if he didn’t, there are about a million reasons why she can’t find solace in his arm. 

Amelia does the same, and for a long moment the both of them stand in front of the closed door, posing like Wonder Woman. 

It takes five minutes, give or take, but Andy starts to feel the strength her friend was talking about coursing through her veins again. She doesn’t feel like a superhero, not by a long shot, but suddenly the hope returns to her heart. 

“Better?” Amelia asks as she pushes the door open with her back. 

Andy nods, and sees her friend disappear into another corridor. She stands there for a while, the doctor and nurses never giving her a second glance. As if seeing a dirty, exhausted firefighter posing like a superhero is a routine at Grey Sloan Memorial. 

It takes a long while, but she slowly gathers her faith and confidence, restores her courage and bravery. 

When she feels like she can finally get it through the rest of the night without collapsing on the floor once again, she wipes the tears off of her cheeks and makes her way down to the ER. 

********

Andy touches the window at the outer side of room 105. 

Her palm is pressed against the glass, leaving fingerprints, and she looks at peacefully sleeping Robert. 

Her uniform is filthy, her hair is a mess, and she could definitely use a shower. But she couldn’t care less. 

Every member of station 19 came to visit him on the first day he could receive guests after his surgery. They brought flowers and ‘get well soon’ cards for him. They called her a hero. But none of them stuck around longer than what was absolutely necessary. He still was their captain, and not one anyone can say was broadly liked among the firefighters of station 19. 

By now, everyone knew Sullivan had months of rehabilitation before he could get back to active duty. On the other hand, Andy was discharged from the hospital the first morning after the accident. She was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion, things easily fixed by fluids and a lot of rest. She wishes she could say the same about his injuries.

She spent every free moment she had ever since in the hospital. She would disappear as soon as her shift was over, more often than not with her uniform still on. She would race down the three blocks separating the station from the hospital, and would only get back home after Maya was already down for the night. 

However, she couldn’t bring herself to walk in that room. 

“Herrera.” She hears her name spoken in Meredith’s voice, and she doesn’t have to turn around to know who is standing behind her. The three sisters are there, all looking into the same room she has been staring at for the past hour. “It has been over a week. I know a lot of things happened between the two of you, but as his doctor, I am asking you to put your problems aside and be there for him. The road to recovery will be hard, and he will need you. As your friend, I know you feel something for him, and even though I never quite understood what it is that the two of you have,I think that you won’t forgive yourself if you leave him now, when he is at his lowest.” 

The four of them close the distance between them, until they are standing in some kind of a weird, partly suffocating hug. 

“He has been asking for you.” Amelia says. “He calls you Andrea sometimes. I personally find it cute.” The neurosurgeon smiles at her. 

“He is the only person in my life who uses my full name besides my dad. I just don’t know if I can do it.” Andy admits. “I don’t know if I am strong enough.” 

“There is only one way to find out.” Amelia adds. 

Breath it, then out. In, and out again. 

She makes her way to the closed door.As she presses down on the handle to open it, Maggie touches her shoulder lightly to get her attention. “There is one more thing you need to know. Yes, he has been asking to see you, when he is awake and lucid. But when he is in severe pain or under the influence of the morphine… He is calling someone named Claire. Do you know who she is?”

It feels like someone punched Andy right in the guts, and deflated her from all of the air inside her. Even fifteen years later, he is still so in love with her. She is still the woman he longs for by his side when he is hurt. 

She must have been someone special, this woman. 

“Claire is his dead wife.” Andy breaths out. 

“I am sorry. I just thought you needed to know, in case he would say her name.” 

“That’s OK. Thank you.” Andy reassures her as she turns her head back to get one last look at her friends. They are all smiling at her, silently encouraging her to take the one step she has been hesitant to make ever since they took him to the OR. She opens the door as quietly as possible and enters the half darkened room. She lets her eyes a moment to adjust to the different lighting, even though she looked into this room so much she knows where every single thing is by heart.

She makes the few steps from the door to his bed, then kicks her boots off and slides right next to him. 

He steers as he wakes up, whispers “Andrea” even before he opens his eyes to see who the guest in his bed was. 

“Hey there…” She greets and wraps her arms around his middle. 

He kisses the top of her head, and then, on some kind of an instinct, she lifts her head up and he bends just slightly to catch her lips in his. This is the softest kiss they have ever shared, a kiss both know isn’t leading anywhere, and not ending anything. A kiss that lingers, where they both take the time to enjoy the presence of each other. 

“You came.” He whispers into her hair after they finally break their kiss. There is disbelief in his voice, as if he actually thought she would never show up for him, no matter how much he begged her to. Andy realizes she had let him down once again. He needed her by his side, and she was too concerned with her own feelings to notice. 

She places her hand exactly on top of his heart. For a long while she just enjoys being enveloped in his warmth, and feeling his heartbeat beneath her palm, his ribcage rising and falling rhythmically to the sound of his breaths and the constant beeping of the monitor. 

“You are alive.” She marvelous. 

“I am.” He confirms. “And you will make a terrible EMT, if you think this is the proper way to take someone’s pulse.” 

He smiles at her, and she can’t prevent the tips of her mouth from going up crookedly. 

“I am sorry that I have woken you. Go back to sleep.” 

“Don’t be. You coming to lie in my arms... I would give everything I have in order to wake up this way every single day.” He must be pretty high on those painkillers. There is no other explanation for him speaking like that, considering where they left things off before the aid car rolled off the road. “Stay.” He pleads. 

It has been so many days, hours, minutes, since the last time he asked her to do so. 

It is the first time she doesn’t argue when he asks her to linger in his bed. His fingers run up and down her arm, and before she knows it her eyelids become heavy and she drifts off into a blissful sleep.

It is the first time since her team members rescued her from the aid car that she rests soundly, a sleep with no nightmares, no vivid dreams of her patient dying and her not being able to save her captain. The first sleep from which she is not waking scared, sweating and heavy breathing. 

When she wakes up from her nap, Robert is still sound asleep. The bed is not fit to hold two grown adults, especially as one of them is way over six feet tall, so they end up a mess of limbs cuddled tightly together. 

As she rubs the sleep off of her eyes, she notices Meredith sitting at the corner of the room, a soft smirk on her face. The surgeon smiles at her friend, then half asks half determines quietly, in order to not wake up her sound asleep patient. 

“He is your person, isn’t he?”


	11. Part 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> Thank you so much for coming back, reading and reviewing.  
> This chapter takes place just at the end of season 2 episode 8 and the second part near the end of episode 9.   
> I have a new multi chapter fic, and I hope the first episode will be published on Monday. I will super appreciate your support on it as well, and I hope I will be able to publish one chapter of the new fic and one of Alive each week.   
> I am not going to spoil anything, but the title of the new fic is Daughter, so you can try and guess what it is about.   
> I will love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, and I hope you enjoy!

“Hey, stranger.” Robert greets as Andy walks into the rehabilitation center. His eyes sparkle when he sees her moving toward him, and there is a genuine smile across his face. 

“Hey.” She smirks back. 

They don’t hug, they don’t kiss, she just lands ungracefully into the couch next to the one he is sitting in and throws her purse somewhere on the floor. His walking cane is set behind him, as if he wishes to hide its existence as much as possible. 

She notices he is the one always waiting at the visiting area whenever he expects her, always sits there with a smile on his face when she arrives. She knows he doesn’t want her to view him like that. Weak, not at the top of his game, unable to walk without some kind of assistance. He wants her to see him as her captain who can pull her out of a collapsing apartment. As a lover who can carry her all the way to his bed like she weighs no more than a bag of flour. 

Andy goes through the clatter in her bag, pulls her medal of valor out and hands it for him to see. He glances at the medal for a second, then lifts his gaze back up to her. He doesn't need to say anything for her to know he understands. They have been in that aid car together, after all. 

“How do you feel?” 

She huffs the air in her lungs out loudly. “I know how I don’t feel. I don’t feel like a hero. Amelia… Dr. Shepherd called me a hero after we arrived at Grey Sloan Memorial, and I have heard that so many times ever since. No one knows I fell apart in that aid car. We lost the patient, and I couldn’t bring myself to help you when you needed me to keep you alive. Sometimes it feels like it was just sheer luck that got us out of there. We were just fortunate enough to have the team find us at the right time. I don’t want to think about what could have happened if they arrived just five minutes too late.” 

“I strongly disagree.” He argues. “I know you don’t want to hear me say that, but I am going to say it anyway. The only reason I am here today is you. You went up all the way to the road and made sure to light up that flare so there will be even the slightest chance someone will find us. In my eyes, it makes you a hero.” 

She glares at him, and he knows well enough that it's his signal to stir the conversation in a different direction. “So, what’s new at the station?” 

She wonders if he uses her as a distraction. Distraction from his pain, from the fact he has so much free time on his hands to relive over and over again those horrible moments, in which he was hanging on a thread between life and death. Distraction from the fact that other than her, no one came to visit him in the last four long months. 

She can’t blame him if he does, since she is doing the exact same thing. She uses her visits here as a distraction from the fact that she can’t sleep, that the nightmares are haunting her, that she wakes up covered in cold sweat more often than not. She uses him as a distraction from the fact that the one, single kiss they shared four months ago ignited something in her that was dormant for a long time, and she doesn’t know how to put it back to sleep. 

Maybe this is the reason she keeps coming back to visit him as much as she possibly can. 

They stay on the safe side of things. They don’t talk about their feelings, their fears, and they avoid mentioning that night at Grey Sloan Memorial with every drop of denial they both have in them. 

He is still her superior, that hasn’t changed, and he is about to be reassigned to their station soon enough. 

Nonetheless, a few things did change since the day of the storm. She can understand him better now, knowing his story. She doesn’t hate him, and they speak to each other in a soft tone that was once reserved only for the bedroom. 

One might even say they are slowly but surely becoming friends. 

“Everything is as usual. Jack is still in therapy, and chief Ripley comes by the station more often than not these days. I think he came to a conclusion that 19 is the epicenter of every major disaster bound to happen inside the fire department, and frankly, I can’t blame him. Some days I believe it myself. Like we are sitting on a powder keg waiting to explode and throw the next disaster in our faces. Every member of this team keeps coming out of deadly situations by the skin of their teeth.” 

She goes silent, then adds as if she forgot the most important piece of information of them all. “Oh, and everyone adores my dad, as usual. I keep doing his paperwork and get into fights with him on a daily basis. Which leads me to the question I have been meaning to ask you, how soon can you be back?” 

“So let me get this straight.” He says, tapping a finger on the armrest as if he is trying to figure something out. “You believe that the station is a bomb waiting to explode, still you can’t wait for me to come back to a place where everyday my life can be in danger, only for you to avoid spending too much time with your father, who is one of Seattle Fire Department’s most appreciated captains of all times?” He raises his brow in question. The smile that welcomed her never faded off his face, and makes his whole expression look somehow mischievous. 

“Exactly.” She nods her head in approval. “I love him, I really do, but sometimes he makes me boil inside. He notices everything. Nothing slips past him. I don’t think anyone else feels it, but since he is my dad… It is like I am under the supervision of the Big Brother’s watching eye all day long. If he were at the station during the months we have been fooling around every chance we got, chances are we wouldn’t have gotten very far.” 

“Well, if you think this little of my life, and you are willing to sacrifice me for the sake of having a human shield between you and your father; why did you bother to save me that night?” Robert ignores her comment about the time they have been sleeping together deliberately. 

Stay on the safe side of the conversation, he tells himself. Don’t let anything ruin the delicate friendship forming between them. 

She punches his arms playfully. “I know it might be an unpopular opinion among the rest of the team, but I really do want you to be back. And you can’t fool me. I know you miss the rush, that adrenaline coursing through your veins when you enter a burning building. I was on desk duty for two weeks when I sprained my ankle and I thought I was going crazy.” 

“True that.” He admits. “You know, after all, he is still your father. I know you two don’t see eye to eye when it comes to most things, but believe me when I say the universe could have handled you a much worse hand than a father whose main concern is your well being.” 

“I know that all he wants is for me to be happy. I am fully aware of the sacrifices he had to make, and I will never take it for granted. I just feel sometimes that the way he sees my happiness and the way I see it are two totally different ways.”

Andy glances at her phone. When she notices the time and half a dozen unread text messages from Maya, she jumps up on her feet and mutters a quiet “Shit. I am so sorry, I have to go. Maya pressured me into having a party tonight at our place in order to celebrate me getting the medal, and I ran out the door saying I will buy the snacks and the drinks and come back in time to help her get everything ready.” 

“That sounds nice.” He makes a mental note to try and do whatever he can to make it to her party, at least for a little while. She deserves it. The attention, the appreciation, she deserves it all and way more, even if she can’t see it yet. 

“I guess I just don’t feel like celebrating it.” 

“So humble.” He teases. 

“Always.” She winks at him and starts to make her way back to her car. 

********

“Welcome back.” Chief Ripley greets Sullivan as he enters the captain’s office. 

Sullivan puts down the four months of paperwork that has piled up on his desk and looks up at his former best friend.

Lucas touches his lower lip, and it seems like he hesitates to say what’s on his mind. “I know you make it a habit not to eat with the members of the station, but I brought you those burgers from the place you used to like. Extra fries and onion rings and everything. I thought we could talk.” He lifts up the brown paper bag Sullivan didn’t notice he was holding. 

“Well, for your knowledge I have tried to start sharing my meals with the team before the aid car crush put a hold on my career.” Sullivan confesses. He pushes the clutter on his desk to one side, making enough room so Luke will be able to place their meal in front of them. 

“Really, what changed your mind after all this time?” The chief asks as he carefully pulls out the amazing smelling items out of the beg, one by one, and opens the wrappers. They haven’t done it in a long while, friendly talk over dinner. But Robert will never say no to greasy junk food that's being offered to him. 

“Herrera.” He says, and the smile that creeps up his lips when he speaks her name is unavoidable. “I mean, Captain Herrera.” He corrects quickly. “He told me that in order to really bond with the team, I have to eat with them.” 

“And did it work?” Ripley asks as he takes the first bite out of the juicy burger. 

“To some extent.” Robert admits as he drops a hot french fry into his mouth. “I think that they still view me as a stranger, as an outsider who came and invaded their family, their personal space. I still need to earn their trust. I am sure being out for four months and them having their legendary captain back didn’t really help that relationship, but I will get there one day. Slow and steady. It just sometimes feels like this station has some kind of a mythological captain, and whatever I do I won’t be good enough for them, because I will never be him.” 

They eat silently then, the only sound in the room is the one of their crunchy bites and rapid chewing. 

“Why did you come here, Luke?” Robert asks as he eats the last of his meal. He crumples up the packaging and throws it to the trash can across the room, as if he were a famous NBA player. The trash lands exactly where it belongs, and he leans back, satisfied.

“You know why. They are doing that thing for Captain Herrera’s last day, and I wanted to be here as a thank you for taking this station on himself. If it weren’t for him, I am afraid this station would have fallen apart, with you and Gibson being away.” 

“No, I mean... Don’t take it the wrong way, but we don’t do this anymore, sitting and eating together. So what is it?” Sullivan asks again. Luke looks anywhere but into his eyes, and he knows by now that this visit has some kind of a secret purpose. 

“I am still your contact in case of emergency.” Luke notes. “Which I didn’t know, so imagine how I felt when someone from Grey Sloan Memorial calls and tells me you are in surgery.” 

“Even fifteen years later, you are the closest thing to a friend I have in this city.” Sullivan admits. “And I know that if it comes down to it, you won’t let me live as a vegetable and you won’t second guess before pulling the plug if it is necessary.” He smiles. 

“You know, when you are chief, there aren’t many people you can confide in. I don’t have many friends, and there is something I need to say to a friend. So can we agree for a moment to put the past aside and go back to the way we were fifteen years ago.” 

Sullivan nods. “So is this about a woman?” He guesses. 

“Two, actually.”

Sullivan furrows a brow in confusion. “Luke, what did you get yourself into, and do I really want to hear the details of that particular story?” 

“No, it is nothing of this sort.” The chief laughs. “Is this really what you think of me?” 

“Well, I definitely wouldn’t put it past you. So who are they?” 

“One of them is my woman… Well, I want her to be my woman, but it is kind of new and very much complicated. And the other one is yours.” 

A silence falls on the room, before Robert tries to lie. “I don’t know what you think you saw..” 

“So you are saying I imagined Herrera sleeping beside you in your hospital bed?” Ripley asks. “I didn’t know it is common for a captain to sleep in the arms of one of his subordinates. I didn’t see Miller there. Or Warren.” 

They both laugh nervously, before Ripley says what both of them know is unavoidable. “You know that if the two of you have any kind of personal relationship, I will have to report it. But…” 

“But the woman you are seeing is someone from the department as well.” Sullivan finishes his sentence for him. When Luke doesn’t answer he continues. “Someone from this station?” It can’t be Herrera, and he knows his former best friend’s particular taste in women well enough to know it isn’t Bishop. “It’s Hughes.” He doesn’t ask, but determines.

Ripley puts his head in between his hands. “Sully, how did we get ourselves in this trouble?” 

Roberts pulls his shoulders up. “I met Andy before I knew who she was.” He says, as if it is enough to protect him from the consequences of his own actions. “When I found out who she is, I tried to stop myself, I tried to stay away and keep our relationship professional, but the attraction I feel toward her is… It’s overwhelming sometimes. And in the beginning it was just that, just the sex. But I think that somewhere along the way…” 

“You fell in love with her, didn’t you?” Ripley finishes the sentence for him. In the moment, it feels like nothing has changed at all, no time has passed. They understand each other on a level that only men who have been through hell and back together can. 

He can’t confess it, not even to himself, but what other explanation can the fact that he feels whole only when she is around have? 

“All I know is that I haven’t felt this way ever since Claire died, and I truly and honestly believed that no woman will ever make me feel this way again. Over the last four months, every time she came to visit me, I got the chance to see a different side of her, one of the many things that make her Andrea and not just lieutenant Herrera. But nothing happened between us for the longest time, we kept everything completely friendly. I am afraid she doesn’t feel the same way.”

“I have to say, the way she slept in your arms did not seem friendly to me. If it is real for you, don’t waste your time talking to me. Find her and tell her how you feel. Worst case scenario, she doesn’t feel the same way. At least then you know, and you can move on.” 

“You should follow the same advice.” Robert suggests as Ripley rises up from his seat and makes his way towards the door. “Luke, one more thing.” The chief stops by the door and turns his head back. “If it comes down to choosing between the two of you, have no doubt, I will protect Hughes.” 

“I will do the same for Herrera. And for the record, this conversation never happened. We know nothing, and there is nothing to report.” Ripley swings the door open murmuring under his breath “The women of this station.” 

After he closes the door, Robert rests his elbows on the desk and cradles his head in his palms. He releases a loud exhale and whispers in the direction of the closed door “You have no idea, Luke. You have absolutely no idea.”


	12. Part 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!   
> First of all, as always, thank you so much for coming back, reading and commenting. It means the world.   
> If you haven't read my new fic, Daughter, yet, the first chapter is up if you feel like reading something else by me.   
> There was someone who asked me for extra long chapters. I hope this is long enough... I have tried I swear!  
> There was someone else asking me to post this story on Wattpad. I think I have finally managed to figure out how this site works (after a long while struggling, I am not going to lie), so I will try to upload everything on it this weekend. Look for it on Saturday or Sunday I guess.   
> After this chapter, there are only 3 more chapters left (and an epilogue), so I guess you should get ready LOL   
> This chapter begins exactly where the last chapter ended. (Season 2 episode 9)   
> I hope you enjoy and if you have moment to spear, leave me a comment, I love to hear your thoughts!

“Today surprised me.” Andy confesses. She leans against the railing, and moves forward just a little bit to close the distance between her and Sullivan, who looks at her with attentive eyes. Their elbows are touching, and she just has to shift her balance a little bit for her lips to meet his. 

They have been friends for four months now, just friends, nothing more. Yet his presence around the station makes her feel flirty, audacious. The sight of him back in those dark navy uniform make that thing deep inside her core ignite again, make her remember all the times they have been sneaking around the station when no one noticed. 

“I expected it to be so boring. But I actually made a real difference for someone today. And it turned out to be a great outcome.” 

“I am glad.” He says, and he looks genuinely happy for her. By now the left side of her body is pressed against his right. There is something comforting in him being this close, without any of them making a big deal out of it. 

“Me too.” 

“I had a pretty good day too. We saved a patient with congestive heart failure, and we got his car to start.” Sullivan brags, and Andy can’t help but answer him. 

“Yeah, well I have treated a fugitive with a fake amnesia and lied to a few cops so she could say goodbye to her son.” He smiles at her, and she uses that moment to slide in between his arms, her back is pressed against the railing and she is trapped by his entire body. 

“Why do you have to make everything a competition, Herrera?” He asks, and there is barely an inch left between their bodies now. 

She tilts her head to one side, and bites her lower lip suggestively. She can feel the unavoidable sexual tension in the air around them, almost forming a bubble of a sort. “Well, there is one area in which other men have no competition when it comes to you.” She flickers her eyes down to the seam of his pants, then looks back up at him. 

She knows he understood her not so subtle hint when he blushes, and she smiles triumphantly at him.

“Is that so?” He asks, not backing down. “Unlike what women might think, men don’t always compare themselves to each other.” 

“Oh, so I guess you will have to take my word for that.” 

“I guess I will.” He chuckles, and then they hear someone clearing their throat behind them. 

Shit. 

They have been so wrapped up in each other they didn’t notice someone was listening to their very much not safe for work conversation the entire time. 

Sullivan goes off of her as fast as he could, revealing her father standing in front of her, his arms crossed around his body. His face is a bright shade of red and he looks as if he is about to explode in any moment now. 

“I should go.” Sullivan mutters as he points in the direction of the stairs. 

“Yes, you should.” Pruitt agrees as her captain flies down the stairs, avoiding what is ought to be a huge family quarrel. 

He can handle a near death experience, he can handle rescuing helpless people from a burning building, he can pull her out of a collapsing apartment, but apparently seeing her father angry is just too much for his ability. 

“Dad, whatever you have to say, we should do it outside. I cannot afford to have another fight about Sullivan, or with Sullivan, to the eyes of the chief and the entire station.” She pleads. She cannot be the center of attention one more time. 

“Fine.” He spits out, and follows her out of the station and into the street. She can feel his gaze burning into her back the entire time they walk, making her squirm uncomfortably. 

When they arrive at a safe distance from the station, away from prying eyes and ears, he gives her a disappointed look, and asks. “Who else knows?” 

Andy knows better than to try to deny, or try to pretend that nothing has ever happened between her and her captain. “Maya and Vic.” She answers. 

Her father turns away from her, not able to look at his own daughter at the moment. “Did you think about the consequences? Or did you just screw the first man you saw?” He asks, his back still turned away from her. 

“Of course I thought about the outcomes of my actions.” She breathes out. “Do you think we went shouting from the rooftop that the captain and his lieutenant are having a prohibited relationship?” 

“I don’t know.” He turns back at her, the fury never disappearing from his face. “From what I saw in the exact two seconds I was standing there before you noticed me, it didn’t seem like you two are putting the extra effort to hide the fact that you are sleeping together.”

“We are not sleeping together, not anymore.” Andy tries to justify her actions. Her father has a way of making her feel small, making her feel as if she has to apologize for every step she takes he disapproves of. “I met him before I knew who he was.” 

“And when you found out, did you make any effort to stop it?” He asks. 

Andy starts to move uncomfortably, bouncing from one foot to another. The last thing she wanted was to have a conversation with her father about her sex life, a topic which by now became unavoidable. “I did sleep with him after I knew he was the captain of this station.” Andy admits. She leaves out the part where most of their sexual encounters happened at the station itself. This information will most definitely not make her father happy.

“Of course you did.” Her father retorts, and she thinks that never, in her whole life, she has seen her father so disappointed by her actions. “I don’t care how many men you have slept with, but your captain?” He asks, and she is glad that they are out in the street, because she knows that if they were inside the station right now, not only the entire team would have heard their argument, but she is afraid he would have started to break things in his rage. 

“I am sorry, I don’t see how my sex life is any of your business.” Andy spits. She knows her father hates it when she is rude, and that she is only adding oil to an already raging fire. 

“Of course it is my business!” He yells, and she can only pray that no one inside can understand what they are saying. “You are my child, your decisions reflect on me, on my legacy!”

“Of course it is about you and your legacy.” She huffs out and crosses her arms around her chest. “Well, I am so sorry I didn’t think about you and your precious legacy when I fell in love with him!”

The night silence echos through the darkened street while Andy and her father just stand there, looking at each other. It takes her time to realize what exactly she has confessed to her father’s ears, the one truth she refused to admit even to herself for so many months now. 

“I am sorry.” Pruitt apologizes, as if he can take his words back now, after they have been said. As if her forgiveness can make the fact that he hurt her disappear. 

“Well, that doesn’t matter now, does it? It’s not like I can act on those feelings anyway. And I swear, dad, we are just friends.” 

“Andy, the chief wants to see you inside.” Maya says as she walks out of the station. Her best friend sends a questioning look her way, and Andy nods at her, making sure she knows she got everything under control. 

“Well, we can’t let Chief Ripley wait, now can we?” Andy asks her dad as she turns to get into the station. 

She runs toward Maya, and mouths her way. “There is no way Ripley actually needs something from me, is he?” 

“Nope.” Bishop confirms. “I just heard all the yelling and figured you were outside for long enough. Thought I would come and rescue you before you or your dad will say something both of you will regret.” 

“Oh, that is far too late for that.” Andy shrugs. “But thank you, anyway.” 

****************

It takes Robert quite some time to realize his phone is ringing. 

The buzzing sound penetrates his dream, waking him slowly, until he has no choice but to turn on his back and reach a hand to grab the device. He blinks a few times, his eyes trying to adjust to the offensive light coming from the screen. The time tells 1:05 am, and the caller ID shows the name Bishop. 

He glides the screen with his finger to answer, and places the phone against his ear. “Bishop, it must be really important if you decide to call my personal number and wake me up at 1 am on my night off.” He barks into the speaker, his voice raspy from sleep. He presses the hand not holding the phone to his ear to his eyes, trying to calm himself down from being so rudely awakened. 

“Sir, I am sorry to bother you at home, but it is Andy. Something is really wrong with her. I didn’t know who else to call. I wouldn’t have reached out for you if I had any other choice.” He can hear the panic in her voice, even though he knows she is trying to keep her tone leveled as much as possible. 

“Is she OK?” He asks, and in an instance he is fully awake, his tone turning from annoyed to worried in a matter of seconds. 

“She is safe, but I think you should come down here.”

“I am on my way, text me the address again, I can’t remember it.” He orders and already hops on his feet, going through his closet to find the first clean shirt he can grab. “And Bishop.” He adds. “Don’t let anything happen to her before I arrive.” 

“Yes, sir.” She promises, then hangs up, leaving him with a beeping sound signaling the call is over. 

He puts on his shoes at a light speed, then runs to the entrance and grabs his car keys, the address already showing on the screen of his phone. The drive, which is supposed to take no longer than five minutes in this traffic-less hour of night, crawls by at an agonizing slow pace. He taps his fingers nervously on the wheel every time the car stands still at a red traffic light, which happens to be every traffic light in his way. 

God, please let her be OK. 

It feels like forever before he finally parks the car in front of their building. He decided to take the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator, and climbs them up at a record time. Robert races towards the door, then knocks frantically on the one that says “Bishop and Herrera.” 

A tired Bishop answers the door, wearing sleeping shorts and a tank top, and he walks in before she has a chance to invite him to enter. 

“Where is she?” He asks, looking around the apartment. Everything looks at its right place, no blood stains on the floor or an empty bottle of pills scattered around. 

“Last room to the left.” Maya answers. He starts to walk in the direction she pointed while she is still speaking. “I am sorry I woke you up in the middle of the night, I really ran out of options. I woke up about an hour ago, hearing her screaming, and I tried to walk in and help her but she locked the door from the inside and didn’t open it, no matter how many times I have tried. I thought she might let you in.”

“You did good by calling me.” He reassures her. He wants to tell her that of course he is not upset, that he will dedicate every day of his life to taking care of Andy if it comes down to it. 

Robert presses his ear and a hand against the closed door and listened for a second. He doesn’t hear any screaming or yelling, but he can hear her elaborated breaths and her mumbling something to herself. Bishop is right, something is definitely wrong. 

“Andy it’s me. Please open up.” He begs. For a long while there is no answer coming from inside the room, only the sound of her breaths again.

At least he knows she is still alive.

He turns his head to see Bishop standing behind him, the look on her face still full of worry. He knocks on the door, and pleads again. “Andy, please open up.” 

He hears the key turning in the door and releases the breath he has been holding in his lungs. 

“Take care of her.” Maya requests. 

“I will.” He promises as he presses the handle downwards. “You should consider having a back up to her key. Just in case something like this happens again.” 

Bishop nods, and he opens the door quietly and closes it behind him. It takes his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkened room, the only thing keeping it from being completely blackened is the moonlight filtering through the half open windows. 

He can see Andy standing in the middle of the room, her arms hugging her body tightly. Whatever that has happened, it shook her pretty badly, considering her shoulders are slumped and her eyes are fixated on the floor. 

“Hey” He whispers, and closes the distance between them. “Come here.” He coaxes, and when she presses herself against his body he envelopes her in his arms. “What happened?”

“I had a nightmare.” She confesses. “And it was so real I couldn’t get out of it.” From the short distance between them, he can see the tears glistening on her face, can feel them wetting his shirt. He runs his thumb down her cheek to catch them, and the thought of kissing them away goes through his mind, inevitable, but he shakes it off quickly.

“Do you want to tell me what it was about?” He doesn’t want to push her, doesn’t want to worsen the delicate situation she is already in. 

“You.” She admits. “I keep having this dream, and it is always so vivid I feel like I am back there again. We are back at the aid car, and the team doesn’t get there on time. I try to save you every single time, and every time I fail. I usually wake up then and I manage to calm myself back to sleep, but I couldn’t wake up today. I just felt like I was sitting there alone, helpless, waiting for someone to come and rescue me.” 

“And this is the reason you woke up when you heard my voice.” He realizes. “You managed to figure out I wasn’t really dead.” 

Andy nods, and he can see she is shaking.

“Are you cold?” He asks, and she nods again in response. He kicks off his shoes and pulls his shirt over his head, tossing it somewhere on the floor, before sitting on the edge of her bed and reaching a hand for her to take. She slides beneath the covers, and he spoons her, leaning his chin on her shoulder. 

He knows she is still awake, her breathing didn’t quite even out yet. 

She turns to face him, and he can recognize the sadness in her eyes, the pain written all over her face. He can see himself in her eyes, and he knows that he probably looks the same way, beaten down by the turn his life has taken. His body might have recovered completely by now from the near death experience, but he knows his soul would need to make a lot more effort to bring him back to be the man he used to be. 

And maybe he will never be that man again, maybe that experience made an eternal mark on him, for better or for worse. 

He knows that even though that incident didn’t leave any marks on her body, it does not mean it didn’t leave any scars on her soul. 

She hovers on top of him, their faces less than an inch apart, until she leans towards him and presses their lips together. She presses her entire weight against his body, and he feels the unavoidable thing in him shift, his whole body awakens just by the lightest touch of her. 

He knows what will happen if he just lets Andy continue with her plans. He knows how he will feel, having her again, and there is nothing he desires more than to be inside of her after all this time. 

So it takes every inch of self control he has to ask her. “Andrea… Stop.” She doesn’t listen, but trails kisses along his jaw, down his neck, and he has no other choice but to push her away lightly with his hands on her shoulders. 

The pain he sees on her face is unbearable. 

“I thought you wanted it, I thought you came for this.” She says, combing a hand through her hair. 

“Andy I came because you needed me to.” 

She leans in and whispers into his ear. “I need you to make me feel something, anything. This is the only thing I need from you.” 

He knows she doesn’t mean it, not really, she just tries to hurt him the same way she feels he hurt her. But her words pain him, nonetheless .

“Leave.” She orders. 

He nods his head. “I am not willing to take advantage of your state.”

“It is not taking advantage if I initiate it.” 

“Come here.” He tries to clear the air between them. She is hesitant at first, but he can see her lowering her guards and comes back down to lie in between his arms. 

He forgot how well she fits in that particular spot. 

“Andy, you have to believe me when I say there are fewer things I would like better than to let you follow through on that plan of yours. But nothing has changed between us, not really.”

“I know.” She whispers, and when her voice breaks he just tightens his grip around her waist. “Can you just stay for the night and hold me? I think the nightmares won’t come back as long as you are here.” 

“Of course. You did the same for me, remember?” 

They say nothing more, and he just lies in her bed until he is absolutely sure she has fallen asleep. He holds her far longer than that, her head nestled against his bare chest. He can’t sleep that night, not when he knows she could wake up screaming any minute, not when he has the woman he loves finally back in his arms, even though the circumstances are different than the ones he would like them to be. 

He just watches her sleep, watches her chest rising and falling, stays in the exact same position even though his arm and shoulders went numb hours ago and his back hurts. 

She might be thirty, but he is definitely not anymore. 

He watches the stars through the little open window in her bedroom. He watches them change and shift, watches the moon dance around and makes its way to a brand new day. 

And when the sun finally rises, sending the first ray of light into the room, making Andy roll and twist in her sleep, he gets up from the bed as gently as possible. He picks up his shirt and shoes scattered all around the floor, and gives her sleeping image one last look before he heads out. 

God, how he wishes he could be the man she was falling asleep with, and also waking up to.


	13. Part 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!   
> This author's notes are going to be long so if you want to skip ahead to the chapter this is the short version: Thank you so much for coming back! Only 2 more chapters left after this (excluding the epilogue). You can now follow me on twitter if you want to @SurreraFeels. The first part of this chapter is at the beginning of 2X13. The last part takes place after 2X14.   
> As always, hope you enjoy and drop your thoughts if you want to!   
> Now for the long detailed version if you want to be updated about where this project and others are headed.   
> I have gotten a lot of comments saying you want me to update more both this fic and Daughter. I am so glad you are so passionate about my works, believe me I couldn't be happier. But you have to understand that I am an Uni student, which means I have a lot on my plate right now. For this reason, most of the chances are there will not be a new chapter of Daughter next week. There will be a new chapter of Alive for sure, which I will post toward the beginning of the week, and I will try to post a new Daughter by the weekend, but I make no promises. Believe me when I say I am doing something that has to do with fanfiction in every single free moment I got (and sometimes during classes LOL).   
> I hope August will leave me more free time for writing.   
> As for longer chapters (Which I also seem to get a lot), I am trying to make them longer, but at the same time I am doing what I think is right for the story. Everything I write, I write in a way that would make me enjoy the story as a reader, and not feel like it is just going on and on endlessly. This is also addressing the fact that this story is ending.   
> As to future projects- There is a Surrera one shot challenge thingy I am taking part in. I have written 5000 words, then decided it was crap and to start over (a thing that I haven't started yet), which obviously sets me way back and is time consuming.   
> But the most important thing is! I have a new fic idea. It is very visual, and as such I am looking for someone who draws fanart to collab with. I know it is a long shot, but if you are a fanartist, or you know someone who is and might be interested, please leave me a comment with the user name for Insta\ Twitter\ Tumblr for me to check out, or you can DM me on twitter (@SurreraFeels) or on tumblr (@itsfalloutgirl). You can DM me regardless, I am more than happy to be friends! I don't have a fan insta page since I am a writer not an editor.   
> That is everything! OMG this was so long thank you for reading and hope you enjoy!

“I have a surprise for you.” Sullivan states. He appeared out of nowhere just as Andy was about to leave, blocking her way out of the turnout room. He has one of his hands held behind his back, the other leaning against the door frame, and a very smug smile on his face. 

“If you plan on giving me those chocolates my dad bought for us all in Hawaii, then yes they are disgusting, and no I don’t want them. I am sorry, you are stuck with them, and you have to pretend to like them.” 

Andy lifts her head up and tries to walk out of the room, yet she bumps head first into Sullivan’s tall form denying her exit. 

She frowns at him before he asks. “So you don’t want to see what I have for you?” 

“What is it?” Andy asks. Great, first her father gets on her nerves, and now Sullivan comes at her in a whole wrong way. 

He brings the item back from behind his back, revealing the new box of Lucky Charms he had been hiding, and shakes it in Andy’s direction. “I thought you might want to do some emotional eating, and I can listen to you rent about your father if you want me to. I mean, as long as there isn't a call, I have nothing better to do.” 

“You know me too well.” She snatches the box of cereal out of his grip and rips the top lid open. She opens the inner beg, and slides her hand as deep into the box as she possibly can. Her hand comes out full with the sugary goodness, and she shoves it into her mouth in a very unladylike move. 

Sullivan can’t help but laugh, and she gives him a crooked look, asking “What?” with her mouth still full of the sweets. 

“Nothing. Sometimes you can be so cute, with those cheeks filled with food that is usually targeted towards children. It makes me forget that the woman in front of me is the same woman who has a firm opinion on practically everything, that she is the strong firefighter that saved my life and earned a medal of valor for that.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s me, Andrea Herrera, a woman full of contradictions.” She swallows hard. “Now can we get back to my problems, please?” 

“I am all ears.” He says, and slides his back against one of the lockers, until he sits on the floor, his legs stretched forward. She does the same, and in a moment they are seated closely next to each other. 

If a stranger had seen them, he or she might have questioned their proximity, their legs tangled together, but their friendship is close like that. A friendship between two people who have seen each other naked, quite literally, tends to be that way. 

“I just don’t get him.” Andy admits, shoving her hand back into the clear bag. “He was single for so many years, and I thought he had made peace with it or something. Maybe because he was so in love with mom, he just thought he couldn’t find anyone to compare. I thought he was one of the people who believed in one big, great true love, and when death does this love apart, there are no second chances.”

Andy slams the handful of Lucky Charms to her mouth, and for a long minute the only sound in the room is of her chewing on the crunchy cereal.

“And then he decides to sell his house, my home, the house I grew up in. And he meets this woman, Reggie.” Andy stops and throws in an eye roll to emphasize her distaste, just for good measure, as if he didn’t know Herrera is not the biggest fan of the woman her father is currently seeing. “And he leaves everything, puts his life on hold and flies with her all the way to Hawaii. They have known each other for two whole minutes, and he takes a spontaneous exotic vacation with her!”

“Are you done yet?” Robert asks as he inserts his hand into the box.

Andy hits him playfully on the back of his hand, and he pulls it back empty. 

“That’s mime!” Andy protests. 

“Yeah, but I gave it to you. I thought we could eat it together, I didn’t mean for you to inhale the entire thing all on your own!” 

“Too bad, Andy doesn’t share food.” She quotes the iconic line, and it makes him giggle. “And as for your question, no, I am not done, nowhere near it actually. Do you think she is after the money he is going to earn from selling the house?” 

“Hardly.” Robert answers honestly, and tries to reach toward the box, only to have Andy pull it away from him once again. “She is a real estate agent, Andy. I don’t think she would do such a thing, which could really hurt her reputation and her career. And if she was after a client’s money, I am sure she has clients with much more substantial fortune than your father has.”

“Do you think he has a post cancer crisis? Like a midlife crisis, but he is driven by the fact that he has learned the hard way how short and unexpected life can be?” 

“Do you really want to listen to what I think?” He asks, and when she nods he continues. “I think that your father is finally finding a place in his life where he is happy. And I think you would have been happy for him, if you didn’t feel the need to question his choice of sexual partner, like he did to you.” 

“Hardly.” She retorts with the same words he used just a moment ago. “And I wish I haven’t told you about that particular conversation.” 

“Too late for that.” He shrugs. Robert is about to say something more, but the lights go out, probably a sign of a near by death coming from the station’s generator. 

Roberts uses the distraction to reach a hand into the box and retrieve a handful of the sugary cereal Andy was so reluctant to share.

Andy throws a death glare in his direction, one that he cannot see in the darkness, but he can certainly feel. If human eyes could burn in their gaze, he would already have a scar on his forehead. 

The light turns back on a few seconds later, and Andy discovers Roberts has already started to munch on the little pieces in his hand. 

“You only eat the marshmallows!” She observes. 

“They are the best part.” He tries to justify his actions, as he plops the last marshmallow into his mouth, leaving him with a handful of boring, normal cereal. 

“I know, but you can’t do that!” Andy insists. “It is against the holy rules of the Lucky Charms! They sell the marshmallows separately just for that purpose!” 

Robert rolls his eyes at her earnest.“OK, OK, whatever you say, princess leprechaun.” 

Andy puts her hand back into the box, and as she pulls it out she throws a couple of pieces in Robert's direction. It hits right on his left cheek, and he flinches back. 

“Oh, you are so on.” Robert promises as he aims the cereal pieces left in his right hand and uses them as a weapon. When he is out of ammunition, he tries to reach into the box she is still holding in order to arm himself back up. She is pulling it away from him, which makes him lose his balance and fall on top of her. 

The sound of their laughing stops, and it's replaced only by the sound of their heavy breathing. Their faces are close, so close he has to lean in barely and inch in order to kiss that smug smile off of her face. 

And oh, how he is tempted to kiss her. 

He almost does it, almost takes the step he had been on the brink of making for six months now, but then they both hear someone coming into the turnout room. They get off of each other, shaking the invisible dust off of their clothing. 

The people who came into the room don’t talk, but they are definitely engaged in some kind of activity because Andy can hear the sound of two bodies slamming into each other coming from the direction of the entrance. 

“We should definitely take that imaginary vacation to somewhere with a beach.” She hears a voice saying, raspy from shortness of breath. Chief Ripley? 

“Andy, I am so sorry.” Robert says, and what does he have to apologize for? “Hey, Luke!” He yells in the direction of their invaders. 

And then she sees them. Vic and Chief Ripley wrapped up in each other in a way that leaves no room for doubts. Her hands are grabbing his collar, and their lips look swollen from kissing. 

For a long while the four of them just look at each other, before Andy pushes the half empty Lucky Charms box into Robert’s chest and rises up on her feet. She walks to the exit, bumping intentionally into Hughes’ shoulder as she murmurs “Hypocrite”. 

“Excuse me?” Vic asks, walking after Andy into the front entrance to the station. They both talk quietly, neither of them want to make a big deal out of the fact she is doing someone who outranks her. 

“You heard me loud and clear. You gave me a hard time about sleeping with the captain, while you were knocking hips with the chief of the entire fire department? And it never crossed your mind to confide in me, even once? How long has this been going?” 

“Since Miller’s birthday party.” Vic answers honestly.

“I can’t believe it.” 

“I was afraid you were going to resent me. Because I got to have the relationship, to keep it somewhat healthy, while you had to give yours up because it threatened your job and messed up with your feelings.” Vic looks down, fumbling with her fingers. 

“Sullivan and I never had a relationship. It was all about sex, and never about dates or meeting my father. Of course I would have been happy for you, if you only gave me the chance.”

They look at each other while the alarm starts to go off, mentioning the location of a minor in distress, and Vic has no other way to describe what she sees in Andy’s eyes other than disappointment.  
“Well, you got the exact same thing you thought was coming. Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Andy spits as she runs toward the barn, followed by a slumped shouldered Victoria. 

The two female firefighters are two busy with their feelings towards each other, each hurt by her friend’s deeds and actions, to notice the captain and the chief standing at a safe distance, watching the scene unfold from afar. 

“What do you think they were talking about?” Lucas asks as Sullivan goes through the content of the cereal box, trying to find another marshmallow to pop into his mouth. After he finally finds the desired piece, he offers the box to his best friend, who rejects the offer with a look of horror on his face and a disgusted “No, thank you.” 

“Suit yourself.” He shrugs, looking for another colorful piece. “And I have absolutely no idea.” 

“The women of this station.” Ripley sighs.

Sullivan hands the box to his best friend and heads in the direction of the truck, ready to go on his mission. Just before he disappears, he turns around, as if he remembered something of utmost importance, and says “You have no idea, Luke. You have absolutely no idea.”

***********

Andy scrubs the inside of the elevator. She grips the rug with so much force her knuckles turn white, and the detergent burns the skin of her palms, yet she doesn’t care. 

She wipes and cleans over and over again, even though hardly anyone uses the elevator in the fire station, so it couldn’t have gotten that dirty since the last time anyone bothered to mop it. The smell of chlorine gives her a tad bit of a headache, or it might be the sound of the coffee bags exploding under the high temperatures of the fire still buzzing at the back of her mind. 

It was sheer luck they all got out of there alive. 

“Andy.” She hears Sullivan’s voice coming from behind her. 

“What?” She snaps. It comes out harsher than she intended, but he is the person to interrupt her furious train of thoughts, so he gets lashed out at. Even if for a change, he is probably the only person who did nothing to tick her off this last couple of days. 

“Nothing, I just wanted to know how you are coping with everything. It was not a simple call.” He steps into the elevator and presses his back to the mirror she was just vigorously cleaning. 

“You are stepping in the spot I just got done.” She huffs, and for some reason, her captain finds the fit she throws his way fairly amusing. He smiles at her crookedly, and when he adds nothing more she says “Well, Warren is here as well, and I am sure this call has been hard on him too, so why wouldn’t you go ahead and check how he is feeling?”

“Oh, I am sure Warren is fine.” He laughs again, which earns him the dirty cloth Andy throws in his direction. 

“You know, you should really stop throwing random objects at people whenever you don’t approve of what they have to say.” He hands her back the rag, and she starts to scrape the invisible mark on the mirror by the spot he is leaning against, just to make her point. 

“Well, I was channeling my anger in different directions,” Andy points at the few bottles of cleaning supplies standing next to her feet. “Until you interrupted me. So if you want this elevator clean, please leave.” She glares at him. 

“I didn’t quite think you were the type to clean your emotions out.” He confesses. 

“Really? So what did you think I was doing when I was angry? You know, in order to avoid punching someone in the face?” She questions, and drops the cleaning equipment down to the floor. She knows she won’t be cleaning much anymore. 

“Well, you used to jump my bones.” Andy blushes at that, feels the heat rising to her face. “And then when you couldn’t do it anymore, I saw you eating an entire box of those cereal you love so much in one sitting. Alone.” 

“Do you have a point, other than to make fun of my stressing habits?” 

“Look…” He starts, and as he talks he moves toward the entrance, and for one moment, she thinks he is actually about to leave her to her own devices. “I know that I am the reason for your anger most of the time. And I also know that more often than not, your fury toward me is justified, to some extent, anyway. So I know that right now, this isn’t the case.” Sullivan pushes the ‘close door’ button, then hits the ‘stop’ right after. 

Andy stares at him confused. 

“We are not leaving this elevator until you get whatever it is off of your chest.” Robert calls. 

“No way.” Andy decides, but as she is trying to push him away and press the key that makes the elevator run again, she is faced with resilient resistance. He blocks the keyboard with his body, and she knows well enough she doesn’t stand a chance against him. 

“I am all ears.” He declares. 

“What if Ben will need us? Or there is a call?” She tries to count the reasons as to why being stuck with him in the tiny space is a very bad idea. 

“Well, Warren is so busy studying for Medic One, I seriously doubt he will even notice the Queen of England walking into the station with a full marching band accompanying her.” Sullivan tries to dismiss her excuses, and for the first time since she saw Maya and Jack all over each other, she cracks a genuine smile. “And if there will be a call, we will hear it. We are not stuck in here, we are just hanging out.” 

“I am claustrophobic.” She holds down to her last straw, which makes her captain burst out laughing. “What?”

“Nothing, just that the notion is so absurd it might be the best thing I have heard all year. Andy, you have been stuck in a collapsing apartment, a sewerage, a garage under lock-down, and even though you have not always dealt with the situation the way I expected you to…” Why does he always have to use every chance he has to criticize her? “You have always done what you thought was right, and never once lost your temper.” 

“Fine.” She finally admits. “I am not really claustrophobic.” 

“So what is it? Your dad again?” 

“My friends. Or at least, who I used to call my friends. You know, when we were doing whatever it was that we were doing.” She waves her hand in the air theatrically between them, emphasizing she doesn't really have to add anything in order for him to know what her meaning is. “I opened up to them. I shared with them, I stood up and defended Maya, even though it cost me a great deal. I trusted them enough with my deepest secret, and not once I doubted they would take it with them to the grave if it was necessary.”

“Sound as if you have a strong friendship.” Robert comments, as he steps closer to Andy’s direction. He knows her well enough by now, to be sure she is not going to flee now she has finally opened up to him. 

“We used to be, there was a time when practically nothing that could tear us apart. I am just so upset with them keeping things from me. Like they felt a need to hide their relationships from me. Do you think I can’t be happy for other people? Do you think I am so self absorbed?” 

“I think you are one of the most honest and loyal friends I have had the pleasure to have.” He admits, and it is true, every word of it.

“So why couldn’t they confide me with their secrets? Maya and Jack, of all men and women.” Andy rolls her eyes. 

“I thought he was your ex. Do you still feel something for him?” There is a green eyed monster rising inside of Robert when the idea pops into his mind.

“What? Jack? No!” Andy is quick to dismiss, which in some unexplainable way, makes Robert stand down, releases the tension in his shoulder blades just a bit. “You know, there is just an unwritten girl code. You don’t double dip, Maya said that herself a long time ago. And don’t even get me started about Vic.” 

Sullivan has to shake his head in order to delete the ugly picture painting in his mind, unwelcomed, unwanted. The image of the woman he loves lying in the arms of another man. Gibson should thank his lucky stars for not being around him at this moment, Robert thinks to himself. 

“Vic is just a firefighter, and Ripley is the Fire Chief of Seattle. He outranks her by a thousand ranks, to say at least. And yet she still gets to have everything she wants....” 

“Is this really about them not telling you?” 

“It is just all so…” Andy mutters. She doesn’t finish the sentence, yet she kicks the bundle of cleaning supply standing on the floor in front of her. The bottles and containers all fall like bowling pins, yet it does nothing at all to ease the rage she feels inside of her. “And now Maya is at the coffee factory, doing something, working, helping, and I am here, stuck on aid car duty. With everything going on this past couple of days, I am sure this day won’t end until some kid will pee all over me.” 

“Hey.” Robert is quick to react. He holds her wrist lightly with one of his hands, and stands closely behind her, barely touching. 

They are two bodies searching for a way closer to each other.

Two pieces of magnet unavoidably attracted toward each other. 

Two souls desperate to find a way to become one again. 

“Whatever it is you are feeling. I know I can’t possibly understand, but you can transfer some of your anger, and your sadness, and the betrayal you feel, to me. Lay it all, give everything you got, I am known to be a pretty tough guy.” 

Andy turns around, lifts her head up to meet his eyes. She holds onto his bicep, uses him as her anchor. Their faces are oh so close, their breaths mixing together. 

All she has to do is stand on her tiptoes, and they will be kissing. 

And oh, how she is tempted to kiss him. 

“Herrera!” She hears Ben calling from outside, searching for her. His voice penetrates their bubble and brings them rudely back to planet earth, back to reality. For a moment it feels strange, a voice that doesn’t belong in a world where only the man she loves and she exists. 

But their moment is cut short nonetheless, and she is quick to straighten herself, to look somewhat presentable, and not as if she felt every emotion that a human being can possibly feel over a span of exactly five minutes. 

She walks over and presses the ‘open door’ sign, and as the door slides they both find a confused Warren standing in front of them. 

“What were you two doing inside of the elevator, of all places?”

Both Andy and Robert mumble in embarrassment, trying to find any reasonable explanation as to why the both of them were closed together in the tiny space. 

“Never mind.” He dismisses. “We don’t have time for that.” 

“Warren, what’s wrong?” Sullivan asks, and he is all captain again, not a trace left of the empathic friend who wanted her to take some of her burden on his own shoulders. 

“Miranda called. It’s Ripley. He was brought in by an ambulance to Grey Sloan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Just dropped by again to say thank you, and to say I would really love to do a colab with someone who does Surrera fanart. So please DM me( @SurreraFeels on twitter, @itsfalloutgirl on tumblr) or leave me your users to check out.   
> Thank you so much!


	14. Part 13- One Last Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!   
> Thank you all so so so much for being back, for reading and reviewing. There is only one more chapter left, so I hope you are ready.   
> I am sad BUT I am also existed because I have a surprise for you (well, it is only a surprise if you are not following me on twitter). I am working on a new story (no title reveal, sorry guys). First chapter up tomorrow.   
> Well, I guess there is no need for me to say during which episode this chapter takes place. (2X15, BTW)   
> If you want to chat, follow me on twitter @SurreraFeels. I don't bite, I swear!  
> OK hope you enjoy and leave me your thoughts!

It hurts her to watch another woman finding comfort in the arms of the man she loves. 

Even now, even as the world is falling apart around the members of her station, even when it seems like Vic is about to crumble up and vanish from existence, the sight of Robert holding another woman in the broad daylight sparks that petty thing inside her, which she is not proud of. 

Ripley’s sister can try and find a little fraction of solace in Robert in front of the little crowd in the waiting room, yet she cannot try and take away some of his pain caused by the fact that his very best friend is dying. 

Andy is sick of the rules, fed up with the constant need to care what other people think of her or how they will react to the way she behaves. She makes the decision to be there for him, regardless of the personal price she would have to pay, yet stays put in her seat. 

“Vic, if you want to go sit with him, now is the time.” Jennifer says. 

Andy looks back at Vic, who fidgets with some weird object she can’t identify. “Somebody else go, I can’t. I am not ready, I can’t.” Her friend refuses, and Andy wants to get up and pull Vic all the way to Ripley’s hospital room by the arm. She wants to put knock sense into her, tell her that she will regret it with every remaining breath she takes for the rest of her life, if she won’t speak how she really feels. Tell the man she loves goodbye before she has to keep it inside of her forever. 

And yet Andy keeps silent, because she knows. She has been where Vic is not too long ago, and even though the outcome was different, those few moments of uncertainty feel exactly the same. 

She knows that Vic has to make the decision herself. She will have to take every step to the chief’s room by herself, and her heart will get heavier with every step she takes, like someone is piling up weights on top of her rib cage. Yet she will have to keep walking. 

There is no one who can do it for her. They can all just be there, support her, stand by her. But they can’t walk that path to him for the last time. 

And then there is a surge of shame going through Andy. She spent too many days being angry at Vic, resenting her. If only she knew her friend had so little time to spend with the man she loves, she would have left that turnout room soundlessly, taking Sullivan with her. She would have smiled at her, and closed the door, letting Vic and Ripley enjoy each other in every moment they had left. 

Life is funny that way. It is so rare to actually know that your last kiss, your last smile, your last time, was the final one. 

Most of the time, you just believe that there are a million moments more to mend what is broken. To confess your true feelings. To share another kiss. 

“It’s OK.” Andy hears Sullivan reassuring Vic, and closes the door behind him. 

He is going to say goodbye to his friend one last time. 

She is not sure what she is doing, her legs walking before her mind has a second to order them what to do. In a blink of an eye she follows him in quick steps, meets him just outside of the room. He peeks inside, and she can see worry written all over his face. 

“I used to sneak glances inside the room when you were lying in a hospital bed at Grey Sloan.” Andy startles him. He jumps up just a bit, too immersed in his own thoughts to notice she had followed him. 

“I know. I saw you standing there, watching me like a hawk.” She is sure he would have smiled at her if they were only in a different situation, where smiling did not contradict everything he feels as much. “And what convinced you to finally get inside?” Robert asks, applying pressure on the doorknob, then releasing it. 

“Well it took me a week. And a team of three very relentless surgeons I am lucky enough to call my friends. But I am afraid you don’t have this amount of time. And you will have to do with just me as a friend.”

“I am just afraid that he doesn’t want to see me. I have been treating him in an unfair way for so many years. Pinning the blame on him for something that only God had the power to undo”. 

“If things were the other way around, who were the people you would want around you?” Andy asks. They haven’t broken eye contact since the moment she stopped by the door, and she can see sadness in his eyes again, the kind that appeared the only time he talked about his late wife. 

“You.” Robert answers confidently, without giving it a thought. “And Ripley. I would have wanted to make amends.” 

Andy places her hand on top of his, and they press together. The door cracks open slightly as she reassures. “I am right here. Just look outside if you need to find courage.” 

He nods at her, and steps into the room. 

Robert stands in the middle of the room uncomfortably, looking around, trying to think about what to say to his best friend one last time. To his surprise, Lucas breaks the heavy silence first. 

“Tell Herrera I can see her trying to eavesdrop. This room has windows, and she is not invisible yet.” Luke says. His voice is raspy, the constant cough taking a toll in his vocal cords. He looks as if he had aged twenty years in an hour, like time has finally caught up with him, and then some. He is pale, a ghost, a man for whom every breath is a struggle. His eyes are red, bloodshot, yet Robert can’t believe Luke cried. Not even on his own deathbed. 

Robert shrugs. “I think she just tries to make sure I won’t bail out of here before everything is set and done between us.” 

“Well I have nowhere better to be.” Ripley promises. There is a deep layer of sadness wrapping the entire room, choking them as he says “The women of this station.” one last time.

“You have no idea, Luke. You have absolutely no idea.” 

Robert grabs the chair standing next to Ripley’s bed, trying to make himself more at ease in the situation that agitates him. 

It wasn't supposed to end like that. Their friendship should not have reached it’s finish line so early. For some reason, even after Claire has died and Robert cut Lucas out of his life completely, he always imagined them finding each other again in a later stage of their lives, growing old as neighbors, sitting together at the front yard, drinking scotch and reminiscing about the good old days. 

“I wasted so much time and energy being angry at you.” Robert confesses, putting a reassuring hand on his friend’s. It is ice cold, a total contrast to his warm palm. 

“You don’t need to apologize, Sully. Everything is forgotten and forgiven. A lot of water has flown under that bridge since.” He reassures. “”Did she listen to my messages, does she know I wasn’t trying to…” Luke starts to say before Robert cuts him short. 

“She knows everything she needs to know. She knows this is goodbye. She is just not ready to say it.” 

“Can I ask you for something, one last time?” 

“Anything. Everything.” Sullivan answers, and he catches a glimpse at his best friend watching Andy pacing back and forth outside of the room. 

“Take care of her.” He gestures toward the door with his head, barely able to make even that simple move without it paining him. “Be happy again. You deserve it, even if you don’t believe it yourself .” He is stopped by a fit of heavy coughing, that shakes his body and burns his lungs from the inside out. It takes him a while, but he continues, even if it is a bit weaker than before. “Love her. Let her in. This life is short and unexpected, and if she is the real deal, if she is your second chance, don’t waste another day.” 

Robert is about to respond, about to say that he doesn’t think he has it in him to love her the way she deserved to be loved, to care for this magnificent woman the way she deserves to be taken care of. But how can he deny a man of his last, dying wish?

“Take care of her.” Luke asks again. “Take care of the both of them. Let Vic know it is more than fine to grieve, but I want her to move on and be happy again. Even if it is without me.”

“I promise.” Robert says, as tears well up in his eyes, yet he doesn’t shed them. “I am not ready to say goodbye.” 

“Like so many times in this life, I have to teach you how to do everything.” Lucas whispers, his voice barely audible by now. If Hughes wants to see him one last time, she has to hurry up, and Robert has to cut things short. 

Too short. He has a thousand more things to tell his best friends. A thousand more burgers to share. A thousand short tales telling the story of how he fell in love with the firefighter still waiting outside the door for him. And he never got to hear how Luke found himself in Hughes’ bed. He is sure Ripley has a thousand words to say about that too, or maybe ever more. 

“Don’t say goodbye. There is nothing good about goodbye anyway. Say something else. I am sure there is something better on your mind.” 

“I will just say... We are good.” 

“We are good.” Ripley answers with the same words. “Will you send her in?” He asks his best friend.

Robert nods as he makes his way to the door. He glances at the chief one last time, then turns his head away. 

His commander. His best man. His only friend. His person. 

“There are many more things on my mind, but I will tell you all about them when I see you again.” Robert presses his hand on the doorknob, and opens it to the inside of the room. 

He doesn’t look at his best friend again, but he hears the words “When I see you again.” mumbled to his direction. 

Then he closes the door behind him, and his world will never be the same. 

Andy doesn’t speak, just takes his hand in hers and squeezes it with enough force for him to understand the meaning. She is suggesting he transfers some of the anger, and the sadness, and the hurt he feels, to her. She is offering to support him, to be someone he can lean on, because right now his own back might fail him. 

They walk hand in hand the length of the hallway, neither of them opens their mouth. The only sound is their squeaky footsteps on the floor that was just washed, and from time to time a call for one random doctor or another. It takes everything each of them has to disconnect from each other once they reach the door to the waiting room, but they both understand this moment does not belong to them. 

“Hughes.” Robert calls her friend’s name as they both enter the room, Andy closing the door behind her. She can’t understand how he is keeping himself together, composed and representative, even at this moment.

She is once again at owe by the amount of strength this man has in him, emotionally and mentally. And maybe after you bury the woman who was your whole entire world, your everything and anything, you develop another layer of thick skin to defend you from another tragedy. 

“He is asking for you.” 

“I can’t.” Vic refuses. 

Andy has to do something. “Vic, a word?” 

Vic can do nothing but nod, and Andy has to practically drag her all the way to the nearest restroom, for them to have some kind of privacy. Vic leans against the door, and she can see her friend’s legs can barely support the weight her shoulders were forced to carry so abruptly. 

Andy knows she has to make it quick, convey her message in a way that won’t leave Vic any room for doubts. From the little she has managed to see through the small window to his room, Ripley doesn’t have enough time for Vic to deliberate. 

“Remember the time, not long ago, when you and Maya had to physically lift me up because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone that I care about deeply?”

Vic nods. Andy can only imagine how hard it is for her to speak right now, yet her eyes remain dry. 

“Now it is the time I do the same for you. Vic, you have to go see him. You told me back there, near the aid car, you told me that you understand. And even though I didn’t know what you meant at that exact moment, I know now. And I understand, too.”

“I just don’t know if I can do it.” She confesses, finally able to speak how she feels, even if those are only a few words, and each and every one of them pains her endlessly. 

“You don’t have to do it alone.” Andy touches Vic’s arms softly. “Take Travis with you, he understands better than anyone else can. But you should go now. Run, before it is too late.” 

Vic doesn’t say anything in return, just opens the door widely and disappears. Andy hopes and prays she will make it in time. 

She would have gone with her, but Vic has someone to stand beside her. There is someone else whose person she ought to be, and something she has to do. 

As she enters the waiting room once again, Robert sits on the edge of an old couch, his head between his hands, his back slumped in despair. She immediately reaches her hand for him to take, for once not thinking about the fact that they have a small audience watching everything they do.

He lifts his head up immediately to her presence, and interlaces their fingers without a second thought. 

“Not here.” She mouths soundlessly. 

She takes him out to the hallway, crowded to the brim with firefighters and police officers. They are all talking softly, paying their respects to their dying chief, yet somehow it still feels like they are stuck in a beehive. They make a turn right, then a left, until they reach the same closet Andy pushed Vic into not too long ago. They both stand in front of the sign numbered 252, their hands still held together tightly. 

“What is this?” Robert asks as Andy pushes the door open forcefully, just to make sure there is no one hiding inside there. Meredith did warn her about the meaning of these kinds of places inside hospitals. 

“This is a yelling closet. Or a crying closet. Or whatever you need to do closet.”

“I don’t need to do anything.” Sullivan refuses. “I am fine, really.” 

“Robert.” She says his first name. A name once reserved only for the intimate moments when she was lying half on top of him, their bodies pressed together tightly, as she was sharing her hopes and dreams with a man she then believed could only satisfy her body. 

Today, however, his name is filled with sadness, and it feels strange coming out of her mouth. “I thought the same thing when my dad was first diagnosed with cancer. And when I saw my friends taking you into surgery, not knowing if I am going to ever talk to you again. But it helped me, you know. To have a place where I can give freedom to my feelings, and not have anyone judge me.”

“I don’t know.” He hesitates. 

“Please.” She almost begs, her voice soft. “If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for me. I will be right out here waiting for you. Take all the time you need.” 

He nods his head, and Andy thinks she might have to say something more to convince him that this will do him good. 

She can’t see it coming, but he is pulling her into the supply closet and closes the door behind them. 

“I can’t be alone right now.” He says as he slides to a sitting position against one of the walls. She doesn’t say anything, in doubt the plain words could provide him any kind of consolation. Andy sits right beside him, her knees tucked into her chest, her arms crossed on top of them. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asks, even though she can assume the answer on her own. He was never the one to do the majority of the talking among them. 

“No.” He stays silent for a long while before asking “Can I hold you?” 

“Why? Are you afraid that me holding you for a change will hurt your manhood?” She tries to lighten the mood. 

Andy doesn’t expect the sincere answer coming from him. “No, I just sometimes forget how well you fit in between my arms.” 

“Like I was made to stay right there.” She manages to bring the tips of her mouth up just a little bit as she looks at him. She doesn’t have to move a lot to be seated in front of him, and he wraps his arms around her immediately. 

She can’t help but feel that as long as he holds her, as long as it is just him, and her, and the sterile hospital supply, the universe cannot harm either of them any further. 

He places his chin on the crown of her head, and tightens his grip around her body. 

Neither of them knows how long they have been sitting there, the only sound to somehow tell the time is the ticking of a clock she can’t see from the way she is positioned, and the constant beating of his heart as her ear is pressed against his chest. 

It doesn’t matter though. If it has been a minute, an hour, a day. She is more than willing to spend every moment in her life being his comfort, his escape. 

In his arms. It is not a half bad way to go. 

He places a soft kiss at the top of her head, and she can feel him breathing in her scent.  
“I probably smell like sweat and coffee beans.” She protests quietly, yet she doesn’t dare to move, doesn’t dare to make the slightest action that will shift the delicate balance they have finally found. 

“Which happens to be my favorite kind of perfume you use.”

Robert kisses the top of her head and breaths her in over and over again. 

Andy lifts her head up to tell him to cut it out, to scold him and convey the point that she could really use a shower after the long day that they have had. Or maybe it was more than one day already. She lost track of the time long before they entered this closet, which seems to be a wrinkle out of space and time. 

As she looks into his eyes, she can’t ignore the silent tears streaming slowly down his face. She has never seen a grown man cry before. They usually do it in private, where no one can see them, where no one can shame them for letting their feelings show. 

Yet he trusts her enough not to hide it. He is crying over his best friend, and she is there to see.

“Hey…” She whispers as she reaches a thumb to his face to wipe a fat tear away. She holds his face between her hands, and in an instance she knows what is coming, can feel that vibration in the pit of her stomach. 

He lowers his head down and kisses her.

The kiss is salty, tastes like tears and death and sadness. It is comforting, filled with slow passion and a big wave of relief that floods her after finally doing the one thing she desired for so many weeks. They kiss softly, and they kiss and they kiss.

And who knew her lungs could hold so much air and her heart could hold so much love. 

It is a kiss that lingers, a kiss not meant to end anything, but a kiss meant to be the start of something new. A kiss meaning to lead them a million different directions. 

A kiss where the both of them can find some kind of solace, and another kind of home. 

As she pulls away from him, he places another soft peck on her lips, and she knows they are done for now, but never completed. He goes back to holding her, the tears haven't subsided completely yet. No amount of love she can shower on him will erase the sorrow of losing his best friend just after finding him again.

Even if he is still eaten from the inside out by the sadness and regret, there is a surge of new hope inside of him to fight all the darkness, and bring back the light. 

And for the first time, he is sure he has it in him to fulfill the promise he had made to his best friend. 

He hugs her inside of the supply closet for what feels like forever, but at the same time no time at all, her entire body moving as his chest rises and falls with every breath he takes. 

When Maya opens the door, she doesn’t seem surprised to see them holding onto each other for dear life. Her best friend lingers for a second, before saying the thing they knew was unavoidable, but still dreaded the most. “He died at 5:43, a half hour ago.” When nobody moves, she continues “Vic is headed back to the station, and she needs us, Andy.” 

“Go, your friend is waiting for you.” Sullivan prompts. 

“Are you sure you are going to be alright?” Andy asks, even though she is already up on her feet, whipping tears she doesn’t know to whom they belong to off of her face. 

“I will. I just stay here for a minute. I will be on my way back to the station right after you.” The two female firefighters exit the small room, leaving him alone with his thoughts. 

It might sound crazy, but when he closes his eyes, he can almost see his best friend again. 

*******  
"It's been a long day without you, my friend  
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again  
We've come a long way from where we began  
Oh I'll tell you all about it when I see you again."


	15. Part 14- Human Blanket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... This is it. This is the last chapter.   
> There will be an epilogue, but this is the last real part of the story.  
> As always, I want to thank everyone who read this story. You truly don't know what it means to me.   
> This chapter takes place exactly where 2X15 leaves off.   
> As always, I will love it if you leave me your thoughts and enjoy this chapter

They all go down from the top of the engine one by one. Leaving as they came, letting Vic have some much necessary breathing room. Let her have time to process and to feel. 

They all leave, each to his own devices, each to their preferred way of handling the loss just descended upon them without as much as a warning. 

They all go down, disappearing each to their little quiet nook somewhere in the big station, until only Andy and Vic remain. They hold each other's hand tightly, but neither of them says a word, each of them lost in her own thoughts. Thoughts about what could have been and about things that can still happen. 

“Go.” Vic whispers the word, which echos all the way up to the high ceiling. Andy knows where she has to go, the place where she will inevitably get to. The place where she has been walking towards all this time, ever since the moment she decided to smile at a stranger in a bar, even if she didn’t always know she was headed that direction. 

“Andy, the way you looked at each other today, comforting each other with nothing but the warmth in your eyes. This can’t be mistaken for anything else. And one of the many lessons life unfortunately threw my way earlier today, is that they are short and unexpected. I just thought you should know he went home earlier.” 

“I don’t want to leave you alone.” Andy tries, half the truth half an excuse. She rises herself to a sitting position and moves slowly toward the ladder. At this point, if Vic tells her she wants Andy to lower the moon for her, she will go through hell and back to give it to her, grant her everything she wishes. 

And Vic asks Andy for one, much easier task than to grab the moon by its tale. Her friend’s only request from her is to love and be loved, as long as she is still able to do so. 

“Andy, don’t waste another minute. Not on my account, anyway. I will be alright, I just need some time to myself. I would have probably asked you to leave anyway, even if you didn’t have anywhere better to be.” 

Andy nods at her, giving her a weak smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She heads to her locker, her shoes making noise on the floor with every step she takes, matching the beat of her heart which only goes faster and louder by the second. 

She goes through whatever clothing she has in there, trying to pick something that will match what she is going to do, even if she is not quite sure what it will be yet. She heads toward the shower, peeling off the uniform, piece by piece, each of the items stuck to her body like a second skin by now. She is in and out, showers quickly, only enough to wash off of herself the smell of hospital hallways and tears and death. 

She opts for a thin burgundy sweater and a pair of fitted jeans, pulling them on quickly, her skin not even dry yet. As her eyes scan her locker one last time, she comes across the pair of shorts and tank top Sullivan seemed to have some kind of a love hate relationship with. She pulls the items quickly and shoves them into her bag, adding an additional set of clean underwear before she has a chance to regret it. 

Just in case they will be needed. 

She has only been to his house twice before, but the path that will get her there is still clear in her mind. The drive is short, and even as she makes one stop along the way, it doesn’t take her more than fifteen minutes until she has to open the door of her car and head out to his street, leaving the small bag with the extra clothing inside the trunk. 

The night chill goes all through her, and she feels the cold wind down all the way to her spine. Or maybe it is the rush of adrenaline that flows in her veins as she knocks frantically on the door, then hides the two items she bought on the first grocery store she could find on her way behind her back. 

His whole expression lights up when he sees her standing on his threshold, and she knows that however they are going to end up tonight, friends or lovers, she has made the right call not letting him spend the first night where his best friend is no longer in the land of the living alone. 

“I have something for you.” Andy says, as she is revealing the box of Lucky Charms she has hidden behind her back. “Just in case you want to channel whatever it is you are feeling into eating an entire box of these.” 

“You bought the kind that has only the marshmallows in it.” He notes as he takes the box away from her. 

“I bought the kind that has only the marshmallows in it.” She repeats his words. “So now you can eat every single piece of it instead of using them as a weapon. I have also brought this.” She pulls out the bottle of Merlot she had in her other hand. “Just in case you want something stronger than sugar and artificial food coloring.” 

They stand at the front of his house for a few long seconds, smiling at each other as if they were two ignorant love struck teenagers. “Come in.” He finally invites her. 

As she walks into his living room, she is welcomed by a wave of warmth that fills her senses, making her a bit more relaxed than she was when she approached his house. “You have a fireplace.” She observes. “Kind of ironic for a firefighter.” 

“Being a firefighter just means I know how to handle it safely.” Robert pulls two wine glasses out of the cabinet, and fills the two of them almost to the brim, way past the point every decent bartender would have poured it, if they did it the professional way. 

He walks carefully toward Andy, who is sitting on the carpet in front of the fireplace, her legs crossed, and hands her one of the way too generously poured wine glasses. Then he walks back and grabs the box of cereal she bought . “You know I do own a couch, right?” He looks behind her, at the sofa she is currently leaning her back against. 

“I just feel like it is more cozy down here. And it seems like all we do is sit on the floor these days, anyway. Furniture is overrated, if you ask me.” 

Andy can’t help but sneak a glance at him while he opens the bag of cereal, his whole attention dedicated to that simple action. He looks as handsome as ever, wearing a worn out pair of jeans and a long sleeve black shirt, a serious frown on his face. 

“I just never noticed it, the fireplace.” Andy points out as she takes a long sip from her red wine, and reaches to take a handful of the sweets. They sit tightly together, the entire right side of her body connected to his left, and in every point they touch she feels a small electric current, even beneath all the layers of clothing that separate their skins. 

“Well, it might be due to the fact that in the only other two times you have been here, we haven’t spent much time at the living room particularly.” 

Andy is tempted to shoot the piece of cereal she holds in her hand in his direction, but instead she just decides to put it in her mouth and chew slowly. She sees him downing the entire content of his glass, and she knows there is something he wants to say, there is something on his heart, stuck between his ribs begging to be let out. 

“You know, it is funny how much courage liquor can give you. How it can lower your inhibitions, make you do or say things that otherwise would have stayed locked deep inside you.” She stops for a minute, tries to figure out how to encourage him to finally open up to her. “I know there is something you want to say, Robert. Just let it out, I can take it, whatever it is.” 

“You know, Ripley asked me for something just before he died.” Robert trails a finger along the rim of his empty glass, his eyes staring at the cream colored carpet. Andy reaches out a hand instinctively and touches his cheek, which makes him lift his gaze up immediately. He places his glass as far from him as possible, and she does the same, even if hers is still half full. 

“What did he ask for?” Andy coaxes softly, the fingers on his face caressing his check lightly, and the feel of his stubble beneath her fingers makes goosebumps rise up the skin of her arms. 

“It is nothing.” He nods his head. 

“Tell me.” She pleads. 

He looks deep into her eyes and exhales, letting go of all the fear and the uncertainty. “He told me to find happiness again. With you.”

She doesn’t know how to react, speechless as if she had swallowed her own tongue, so he continues, filling the void created by her silence.

“And honestly Andy, I am done. I am sick of the rules. I am done hiding, fed up with the constant need to care what other people think of me, of us. I am tired of pretending we are just friends, that this is all that we have between us. Because I know it is more than that, and I hope that you feel the same. I don’t know how to handle this feeling, that ache inside of me, the realization that Luke is really gone. But I do know this. I want to be in a safe place, at least until that pain inside of me subsides a little. And right now, you are the safest place I have. So, I think everything, the agony and the pain, they will all fade away a little if you just kiss me right now.” 

And so she does. Before he even has a chance to finish his sentence, she grabs the collar of his shirt and kisses him like her life depends on it. His lips are soft, a slight taste of wine and sugary cereal coming from them. He pushes the barely touched box of comfort food away, and pulls her impossibly closer, until she sits in his lap, her ankles crossed behind his back. 

She slides her hands beneath his shirt and lifts it up, breaking the kiss only for a second to pull it above his head and throw it across the living room. She rolls her hips forward, and can feel him getting hard beneath her by the second. 

Andy bites his lower lip before drifting away only enough to whisper the word “Bed” into his ear. 

She bites his earlobe, trails wet kisses down his neck, all the way to his clavicle, nipping slightly at the bare skin. He pushes her away softly, and for a moment she is confused, since he was the one to initiate this. 

But then he stands up on his feet and reaches his hand for her to take. He pulls her up on her feet, and in a moment they are facing each other again, their noses almost touching. She kisses him again, hungrier, with more force this time, and they stumble all the way across to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind them like a trail of breadcrumbs someone might find one day. Her shoes, followed by her sweater and both of their pants. 

As they enter his bedroom, she is already lightheaded from all the kissing, her knees almost folding in under the weight of her desire. 

Then he stops, and takes the smallest step back, until he can see every part of her body. 

“What?” She asks, fighting the urge to cover her half naked body with her arms. 

“You are beautiful.” He says, and he is so serious, no ounce of doubt in his voice. He moves closer again, placing his weight half on top of her. He leans in to whispers in her ear. “You have no idea how long I have waited to be inside you again.” 

“Then by all means, go ahead.” She approves, as he is back to kissing her passionately. 

As his hands move down her body, his fingers trailing her soft skin until he reaches the band of her underwear and pulls them down slowly, she feels alive again, in a manner she hasn’t felt in a very long time. 

***************

Every sensation in Andy’s body is heightened in the afterglow. The feel of his sheets against her bare skin. The way his fingers trail her back, like he could never get enough of her, even now, even after she is sure he knows that they are going to have so many more nights to unravel in each other’s naked company. The smell of his soap mixed in with the smell of sex and their sweat. The taste of his skin still on her lips. 

“Don’t go.” Robert asks, and as his fingers press just a little into the skin of her back, the way he knows she likes so much, it takes every ounce of power she still has in her to even open her eyes.

She blinks twice, getting used to the sight of him all naked and marvelous beside her again. Every muscle in his body is showing, and as he lies in the queen sized bed, he looks like a statue of a god from one mythology or the other.

“I am not going anywhere.” She promises, and for the first time she does so wholeheartedly. She wants to spend her nights with him, as well as her days. “I just have a bag with clean clothes in my car. I will go grab it and come back before you will know it.” 

Andy gives him a quick pack on the lips, but as she is about to get up, she feels him pulling her by the arm toward his chest again. “No.” He mumbles. 

“Robert, it is only going to take a second. I am not going to disappear, I swear.” She tries her luck, but the temptation of staying close to his warm body wins, so when he offers to take care of that for her in the morning, she doesn’t oppose. 

“Wait, you brought a change of clothes?” He asks, and she is afraid she has given away a little bit more information than what was absolutely necessary. But he laughs, which reassures her somehow. “You planned for this to happen, didn’t you?” 

“I will be lying if I will say the thought of me ending up naked and sweaty in your bed didn’t cross my mind at least once on my way down here.” She confesses. 

“Well, I am very glad it did.” 

Andy rolls over, until she is lying on top of him, her back pressed against his belly. “Wait, what are you doing?” Robert wonders

“Amelia calls it a human gravity blanket or something like that.” Andy explains. “She said that the weight is supposed to make you relax.” 

“Well, you lying naked on top of me makes me feel a lot of different things, I am just not sure relaxed is among them.” Andy can feel the movement of his abs under her as he chuckles. 

“It was worth giving it a shot.” 

She shrugs, and as she is about to roll off of him, he stops her, laying a soft hand on her arm. “I never said I didn’t like it.”

Robert places a kiss on her shoulder, his fingers caressing her belly, from the bottom of her breasts all the way down her navel. The heat pools between her legs once again, and she stir uncomfortably, even if she is not sure she has it in her to go again one more time, all the way from the top. 

“Ask it.” She whispers, and she wonders if his mind drifts to the same spot in time she can’t stop thinking about. The last time she was here. The last time they shared their bodies and his bed. Something inside tells her that he remembers, that he wanted to bring up that question again, but wasn’t sure how. 

“Is this all that it is? A way for the both of us to ease the pain this day inflicted on us?” 

Andy shakes her head, her hair disperse all around his shoulders. She takes a deep breath, finds comfort and courage in the feel of him beneath her, the sense of his hands traveling her abdomen. 

If someone would have told her she was going to be so in love with her infuriating captain just six months ago, she wouldn’t have believed them. If someone would have told her that she is about to say those words, to a man, any man at all, and really mean them, for these to be her most true and secret wishes, she would have called them crazy. 

And maybe if the situation was any different, if her drive to be alive, not just living, wasn’t so strong after the day’s events, she wouldn’t have said what she knows is about to come out of her mouth. “I want more. I want dates, and kisses, and long conversations in front of the fireplace. I want to share glasses of red wine and so many more of those mind blowing orgasms. I want everything, and for some reason, I want it with you, Robert Sullivan. A man that in a morning just nine months ago, I thought I would never see again.” 

He doesn’t react, doesn’t say a word, and for a moment she is afraid that she has said too much, that she broke what could have happened between them with a confession he was not ready to welcome yet. 

And then he flips her over, and meeting his eyes, she knows. 

He doesn’t say a word, but starts to kiss every piece of her bare skin that he comes across in his wake. Her forehead, her lips, the sensitive spot behind her ears. He moves down her throat, her clavicle, her breasts. His tongue trails down all the way, until he finally settles between her thighs. 

Just before her mind goes dark and numb, completely surrenders to the sensation he inflicts on her body only using his mouth, she understands.

He decided to show her. 

Show her that finally, he wants the exact same thing as she does, and so much more. And for the first time since they met at Jo’s bar nine months ago, he doesn’t hesitate to have what his heart desires. Not anymore. 

*************

When Andy finally wakes up, his side of the bed is still warm. She rolls over to her belly, stretches her limbs, smiles as she feels the ache between her thighs, inflicted by their chosen night time activity they engaged in until the sun almost rose. 

Everything in her surroundings smells like him, a woody, masculine scent that has become so familiar by now. The sheets, his pillow, her naked body, telling her that last night was not a fantasy she came up with in her overly active mind.

She closes her eyes once again, only for a second surrendering herself to the warmth of the blanket covering her. 

She could stay there, naked in his bed, forever, and only wait for him to come back to her and do all those things with his mouth over and over again, everyday for the rest of her life. Yet as she figures out it must already be way past morning time, she rolls herself out of the bed unwillingly. 

She finds the bag that was abandoned in her car waiting for her inside the bedroom, and she goes through it in order to find the change of underwear she brought along with her. She reaches for the pair of shorts and top, but then catches a glimpse in the corner of her eye of one of his station 19 T- Shirts. 

She opens the neatly folded shirt, glances in the mirror, comparing the large size of his shirt to her small body. 

Perfect. 

She heads into his shower, takes her sweet time with it, a part of her hoping he will hear the sound of running water and come along and join her, but to Andy’s disappointment, he never does.

She is barely even dressed as she walks out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, the scent of freshly brewed coffee filling her senses. He is busy with something she cannot see, leaning against the kitchen counter, his back turned to her, and she is not even certain he hears her sneaking up behind him. 

Andy wraps her arms around his middle and rests her head on his back, breathing him in. 

“You are getting me all wet.” He says as he turns to face her. 

“You always have something to complain about, don’t you?” Andy asks, but the smile on her face is unavoidable, like the corners of her mouth rise on their own accord. 

Her pain is there, still present, still pressing against her chest, and she is sure his own share of ache is there too. But somehow, somehow through all the darkness that envelopes the both of them, some light still manages to filter in, enough happiness for the both of them to grin at each other, and for their eyes to sparkle in the sunlight straining through the windows. 

“Absolutely not.” He denies. “Everything about this moment is absolutely perfect.” She gives him a second, wrapping her arms around his neck. It takes him no longer than five more moments to add “Well, other than the fact that you are wearing my shirt.” 

“I knew it!” She gloats. “There will always be that little thing that will irritate you.” 

“I just don’t like it when other people are wearing my clothes.” He protests, and Andy already pulls the garment over her head and throws it onto the sofa ungracefully. 

“Better?” She asks, standing in the middle of his kitchen wearing nothing but a matching pair of black lace bra and underwear. 

His eyes skim over her body, and he licks his lips as he confirms “So, so much better. I made you a smoothie.” 

“Of course you did.” Andy laughs. “But can I just get my coffee first?” 

“Not until you try some.” He insists, and she huffs as he serves her one of the two glasses filled with the thick liquid. She sips, the cold and sweet substance hits her taste buds immediately. 

Robert looks at her, waiting eagerly to hear her verdict, and as she nods her head and says “Good” he puffs his chest up and his whole face lights up, self pride filling every part of him. 

“Now can I have my coffee, please?” She almost begs. 

“I have a better idea.” As he pulls out a teaspoon and heads over towards her, a mischievous look on his face, Andy can almost read the thought that is going through his mind. 

“Oh, no, no way.” She refuses, stepping backwards until the back of her legs hit the isle in the middle of his kitchen. “You are not dripping any of this sticky drink on me, no way in hell, not after I just had a shower.” She would have tried to run, to flee his plan, but he is taller and faster than her, and she knows fighting him is a lost cause. 

He still smiles at her like a naughty school boy as he lifts her up with one arm and props her on the cool marble surface. Then he takes the smoothie and drips a bit of it down her neck. He ducks in quickly, catching the sweetness between his lips, licking her clean. 

The action makes her laugh, a chuckle coming from deep in her belly, a place from which a surge of attraction comes as well. He does it again, and by the third time she is aroused, there is no denying that. 

And she feels another thing, a sequence of three small words with huge meaning. She is not ready to say them yet, they don’t quite fit in the new romance that just started to rise between them, but they are there nonetheless, always present between them, and she will be able to mouth the words sitting on the strings of her heart out loud eventually. 

When he drips a bit more in the valley between her breasts, and ducks his head again to reach that exact point that makes her toes curl, something inside of Andy ignites again.

She feels alive.


	16. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> I know I have been MIA lately, but I am going through some personal stuff, so it means fics will probably be posted with larger breaks between them. I am sorry for that but this is how things are currently.   
> I don't have too much to say, other than thank you so much for being part of this journey with me. I have never believed I am actually capable of finishing a multi chapter fic.  
> Hope you enjoy, thank you again for reading!

Andy lies on her back at the top of the engine. She looks at the high ceiling of the barn, the thoughts running around her head even as she does anything in her power to keep them at bay. 

She closes her eyes, her hands resting on her belly, and she can feel her entire body rising and falling with every breath she takes. 

They have been on so many calls during the day, in houses where a faulty charger was left plugged or a pot was forgotten on a stove left on, causing fire to spread. She treated kids who were too brave for their own good and sick elderly and even one mom during an active labor. She got puked and bled on. She took a countless amount of showers and changed more pairs of uniforms than she cares to admit, just to go through the process over and over again. 

She is exhausted, every muscle in her body aches and her eyelids are falling involuntarily. Even though the craziness of her day, things have been quiet for the last couple of hours, and she has gotten the precious opportunity to get some sleep. 

Yet every time she closed her eyes, the thoughts took over. She rolled around in her little bunk, lying on her belly, then on her back, then on her side, no position comfortable enough for her to finally fall asleep in. 

This is how Andy found herself in the barn at 2 am, trying to silence the excitement and nervousness inside her. 

Her mind takes her back to the day they first met, of all times and places. It has been over a year since that particular moment, and a lot changed during that year, but for some reason Andy can recall vividly one thing Emilia told her at the bar that night. 

You don’t have to marry him. 

And yet fate led her exactly to that point after all. 

“Andy.” She hears him calling. She closes her eyes and savors each sound that comes out of his mouth to form her name. She can see him climbing up the ladder, then lying beside her and wrapping one long arm around her shoulder, pulling her impossibly close to his chest. 

She lets out a content sigh as the warmth radiating from his body envelopes her. Just the presence of him makes her feel safe, and loved, and relaxes the tension that has been building up between her shoulder blades all day longer. 

He places a soft kiss on the top of her head, and then she lifts her head up for him to kiss her properly. They kiss slowly, until they are out of breath, and she rests her head back on his chest. 

He picks up one long lock of hair in his hand, and starts to twirl it around his index finger. 

“What are you still doing here?” Andy asks, breathing in the scent that is so familiar. The scent of his body wash and his cologne and something that she still can’t really pinpoint at but is just, him. 

Other than Maya and Vic, the rest of the team members remain clueless about their secret love affair. Not for long, of course. They are planning to tell them the day after tomorrow, after they sign the marriage license and the laws will officially protect them from any disciplinary actions. They should still hide, they should still keep guarding their secret, but right now, she couldn’t care any less. She just wants to spend some time in the arms of the man she loves, even for a short while. 

“I just had a workload to get done. You know, if we will end up deciding to take that honeymoon we talked about.” Robert reasons his presence in his office, now that he is a battalion chief and overnight shifts are no longer a part of his duty. 

His hand that doesn’t currently play with her hair, finds a way down the hem of her shirt, and starts to draw small circles in her lower back. The sensation of his hand on her bare skin does something to her, arouses something deep inside her core, and suddenly she doesn’t feel as tired as before. 

Maybe all she needs is one good orgasm, a memory of a time when she used to get them more often than not around the station. An orgasm will definitely remedy her sleeplessness. 

“You don’t think you could fall asleep if you headed back home, am I right?” Andy asks. Her tone changes. It is more seductive now, and Robert catches up on that easily. He has grown to know her so well by now, she doesn’t even have to ask. A slight change in her voice, a certain shift in her body, will convey her message perfectly and will tell him everything he possibly needs to know about her desires. 

“I have been married before.” He grins down at her. “But if you are asking about my feelings, then yes, I am nervous. And I am also excited and happy. I have done this before, but believe me when I say I plan this time will be the very last time. I plan this marriage to be the one that lasts forever.” 

Andy props herself on her elbows, and sends a sly look her fiance’s way that can not be interpreted in more than one way. “You know, the only question I have in mind right now, is what do you think about us going back up to your office, closing the blinds, shutting the light and locking the door?” 

She bits her lower lip as she waits for his answer eagerly, the image in her mind changing completely. Her thoughts drift, and now she can’t help but imagine herself sitting on his desk, her legs spread wide, her pants pulled all the way to her ankles. She can’t help but imagine the way he likes to bite her earlobe when he is inside her, the way she likes to dig her nails deep into the skin of her shoulder blades. 

“I don’t know.” Robert hesitates, and Andy feels like a deflated balloon. “It has been a long day, and tomorrow will be one as well, even if due to much different reasons. You should get some rest, and so do I.” 

She loves him with all of her heart and soul, but sometimes he can be a bit of a buzz killer, that soon to be husband of hers. 

“What if…” Andy pulls herself up his body, so she can whisper into his ear. “I will do that thing with my tongue that you really, really, seem to enjoy.” She raises her brow at him suggestively. 

“Well, in this case... “ He doesn’t finish his sentence, just lifts himself up and makes his way down all the way to the floor. Andy follows him quickly, and before her feet even have a chance to touch the ground, Robert wraps his arms across her waist and pulls her into a deep kiss. They are a mess of tongues and lips as she leans against the engine, and Robert fumbles with her belt, until he can finally get it to open. 

They giggle into the kiss, trying to catch a breath and calm their racing hearts. His mouth finds the spot in her neck that makes her moan enthusiastically with no effort, and he starts to nibble at her sensitive skin exactly as the sound of a call coming in interrupts them. Structure fire.

“Damn it.” Andy whines as Robert hands her the belt he worked so hard to undo, her smile turning into a pout. 

Here goes her plans of getting an orgasm and some decent amount of sleep. 

“I think I should go.” Robert says, and Andy nods in agreement. She places one hand on his chest before any of her friends show up, and places a little kiss on his lips. 

“I will see you at the altar.” Robert promises as they detangle from each other. 

“I will see you at the altar.” She says back to him as he disappears, and she readies herself for another long call. 

*************

Andy thumps the heel of her shoe down on the floor nervously. 

Four and a half inch heel. What the hell was she thinking?

“Where the hell are they?” Andy breaths out. She starts to pace along the length of the small room, knowing that Robert is waiting for her on the other side. 

She prays he doesn’t think she got cold feet right before she was supposed to make her way down the aisle. 

Maya places a steady hand on Andy’s shoulder and looks deep into her eyes. “They will be here any minute now. Just concentrate on breathing with me.” 

“I just need them here with me. They have been a part of this since the beginning. I can’t get married if they are not around.” Andy takes a deep breath in, and then releases the air trapped in her lungs through her mouth. She does it over and over again, until the wait for her friends’ arrival is a little bit less stressful. 

Andy squeezes Maya’s hands as she hears the sound of a few pairs of shoes making their way quickly towards her. 

“We are so sorry we are late.” Meredith apologies, trying to catch her breath. “We came as fast as humanly possible. Ellis had a little incident.” The surgeon tries to reason the fact that she arrives at her friend's wedding way later than it was scheduled. 

“I had a surgery that went way longer than expected.” Maggie adds. 

“And I was with Link and I couldn’t tell how much time has passed, if you know what I mean.” Amelia smiles at her, making a comment that fits her usual self perfectly.

“Hey Amelia, I would rather you won’t talk about your sex life in front of my dad, thank you very much.” Andy blushes, glancing in her father’s direction, who looks as if he doesn't quite belong in between all the women wearing dresses. 

“You look absolutely amazing.” Meredith compliments.

“Our work.” Vic says proudly, pointing a finger at Maya, then at herself. 

“Not too bad for two firefights, if I do say so myself.” Maya agrees, and nods as she gives Andy’s hair and makeup a quick once over. 

It is a small wedding, just her father and her friends as witnesses in the city hall. Andy didn’t see much of a point in spending her day under the hands of a professional hair and make up artist, so when her friends volunteered to get her hair and makeup done for her, she jumped on board, even if she did it with no so little hesitation. 

But as she looked in the mirror once they were done, she couldn’t help but be completely awestruck by their work. They outdid themselves in a way Andy never believed was possible. Her hair is pinned low on her head, looks a little messy yet very elegant. Her makeup is natural yet glowy, compliments the shape of her face perfectly. 

She wears a baby pink dress and some silver earrings, and she feels amazing, but she is not sure it has much to do with her looks, rather than the fact that she is about to spend the rest of her life with the man she loves. 

The man who just over a year ago, was nothing but a stranger in a bar. Just an unnamed man who she decided to smile in his direction. 

“She would look amazing wearing a potato sack.” She hears the voice of said man complementing, yet before she has a chance to sneak a peek at him, one of her five friends lays a hand on her eyes softly, completely blocking her view.

“You are not supposed to see each other before the wedding!” Meredith protests. “Sullivan, out, now!” She orders, and Andy knows that not many people dare to defy the orders of Meredith Grey when she uses that particular tone. 

“I was just tired of waiting, so I decided to come and check on you.” Robert says, and Andy can see in her mind’s eye the way he probably grins. Like a lovesick school boy. 

“Sullivan, I won’t ask again.” Meredith hisses, and since when her friend is one to believe strongly in superstitions? 

“Ok, I am going.” He gives in, and Andy can’t help but smile to herself. 

She knows he is gone when the hand that was blocking her vision finally disappears. Andy blinks twice at the light, trying to adjust, hoping her makeup isn’t ruined.

“We will see you out there.” Vic mumbles, as she opens the door. 

“Wait, we have something for you.” Amelia calls, pulling a rectangular jewelry box out of her purse. The box is wrapped in black velvet, giving the entire thing a sense of luxury. Emilia opens the box for her, and Andy can see a delicate silver bracelet lying inside, with one blue stone in the middle.

“It doesn’t quite match your dress, but we figured you have to have something that was blue and new, right?” Maggie asks as she closes the bracelet around Andy’s right wrist. “Do you have anything old and borrowed?” 

“Yes, the earrings used to belong to my mother, and my dad made it very clear that he expects them to be returned to him. Now go.” Andy prompts. “If we won’t start soon, I am pretty sure my heart would physically pop out of my chest.” 

“Take it from a cardiothoracic surgeon, this is not a possibility.” Maggie intervenes. 

“Go!” Andy calls again.

A long minute after her friends disappear behind the closed door, Pruitt asks his daughter “Are you ready?” 

She nods at him, and they make their way slowly down the aisle. 

When Andy arrives at a stop in front of Robert, there is a breath that catches in her throat. He looks more handsome than ever, in a black suit that compliments his tall form. 

“I got why your friends didn’t want me to see you.” He whispers. “You do look amazing. I may have kissed you before it was the right time for me to kiss the bride.” 

Andy smiles at him, and holds the urge to punch him playfully on his shoulder. “Well, you clean up quite nicely yourself.” She grins. 

Andy takes Robert’s hands in hers. She can hear the words said during the ceremony only barely over the sound of her racing heat. 

When Robert says “I do” and Andy repeats those two words, a small electric shock runs down her spine, starts from her head and goes all the way to her toes. 

And when she kisses him to the enthusiastic sound of clapping coming from her friends who form a small crowd, 

Well, 

She feels, 

Alive.


End file.
